It’s still winter, and we have some more cold days and nights ahead, according to this year’s groundhog prediction! Here’s some tips to keep things flowing in your home:
Prevent Your Pipes From Freezing
- Open cabinet doors below sinks to allow heat from the home to circulate.
- Disconnect all gardening hoses and install covers on all outside faucets.
- Wrap pipes nearest exterior walls and in crawl spaces with pipe insulation or with heating tape. This can prevent freezing, especially for interior pipes that run along outside walls.
- Close all windows near water pipes; cover or close open-air vents. Freezing temperatures combined with wind drafts can cause pipes to freeze more frequently.
If a Pipe Freezes
- If a faucet or pipe inside your house freezes, you can thaw it using a good hair dryer. (For safety purposes, avoid operating a hair dryer around standing water.)
- To thaw a frozen pipe, heat water on the stove, soak towels in the hot water and wrap them around cold sections of the pipes.