Winter is here!
The freezing weather is arriving today. Now is the time to prepare your home for this cold blast. Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing by early this afternoon and the next few days will see the wind chill drop to below zero! There are things you can do now to prepare your home and protect your water pipes.
Steps to prepare your home:
- Turn off your sprinkler system.
- Where pipes are exposed to cold, wrap them with insulation or heat tape (even fabric or newspaper can help).
- Unhook your outdoor water hoses from the faucets and cover them.
- If you have cold air coming into your home through doorways, place towels or blankets across the bottom of the doors.
- Open the cabinet doors under your kitchen and bathroom sinks to ensure warm air can reach the pipes.
- Keep water moving through the pipes by allowing a small trickle of water to run. The cost of the extra water is typically lower than the cost of repairing a broken pipe.
What to do if your pipes freeze:
- Shut off the water to your home immediately.
- Thaw the pipes with warm air.
- Be careful turning the water back on. Once the pipes are thawed, slowly turn the water back on and check pipes and joints for any cracks or leaks that may have been caused by the freezing.
Things to have on hand:
- Blankets
- Flash lights
- Bottled water
- Hot hands – hand warmers
- Cell phone battery chargers
Things to do:
- Be sure to check on your elderly neighbors to ensure they have what they need to stay warm.
- If you have a gas fireplace, check to be sure the pilot light is on and working.
- Stock up on easy to prepare meals that do not require electricity to make.
- Stay safe by making sure to not run generators or propane stoves inside of your home.
- Bring your pets inside!
