Here are five things to do during extreme cold to prevent potentially costly damage.
• Disconnect outside water hoses. Water in the hoses can freeze and expand causing outside faucets and connecting pipes inside your home to freeze and break. Cover outside faucets using a faucet insulation kit found at home centers.
• If your washing machine is in an unheated garage, turn off water supply lines leading to the washer and disconnect the hoses if temperatures are expected to drop below freezing.
• Allow a trickle of hot and cold water to drip overnight in sinks and bathtubs with supply pipes that run along outside walls.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinets under sinks to allow heat in the room to circulate around uninsulated pipes.
• Add insulating products such as a pipe sleeve or heat tape or cables to water pipes in unheated areas, such as garages or crawl spaces.
• Keep thermostat no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit and keep thermostat set to same temperature during the day and night.
What to do if your pipes have already frozen
• If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a plumber.
• If your water pipes have already burst, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve in the house. Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shutoff valve is and how to open and close it.
• If the frozen pipe is exposed and visible, use a hair dryer, heating pad or space heater to thaw it out. Be sure to keep these devices away from any flammable materials and avoid using any electric devices if there is standing water.
Sources: Roto-Rooter (www.rotorooter.com), American Red Cross, State Farm Insurance
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