Prepare your plumbing for freezing weather and prevent expensive repairs.

Each winter we receive numerous calls to repair or replace broken and frozen exterior water lines, pipes, backflow preventers, landscape irrigation pipes and vacuum breakers due to expansion and contraction of dissimilar materials caused by freezing or sub-freezing temperatures.

Some simple, do-it-yourself, protective measures may prevent a visit by your friendly and sometimes expensive plumber.

OUTSIDE:

• Turn off outside faucets, disconnect your garden hose and put it in your garage
• Cover your exterior hose bibs (outside faucets) with styrofoam covers available at your local home centers for less than $5.00.
  You can also cover the hose bibs with a small piece of insulation, cardboard, a towel or small blanket wrapped with duct tape, in an emergency.
• Your main water line is underground 12" to 18" from the water meter near the sidewalk or street to an entry point at your residence. Most enter your home in the garage. However, older area homes have exposed entry piping low on exterior garage walls and must be insulated or covered.
• Your landscape irrigation system has an exposed vacuum breaker in your yard. Because this device is metal and it transitions to P.V.C. plastic pipe, it must be covered during freezing temperatures.
• Draining your irrigation lines and turning off the water source can prevent expansion and broken water pipes.
• If your pipes freeze, thaw lines safely using hair dryers or electric lamps - never use an open flame or torch.
• Do not open the water meter box at the curb. Opening the box could increase the chance of freezing the flowing water at the meter.
• If there is no water running in your house or your pipes burst, close the main shut off valve and call a plumber.

INSIDE:

• Insulate exposed pipes using insulating tape or molded pipe sleeves.
• When weather is predicted to be below freezing, open cupboard doors in kitchen and baths for additional heat to exposed piping

If you plan on being away for the holidays, leave your furnace on a "low" setting while you are gone to prevent a ruptured pipe and possible flood while you are away.

NOTE: Do not use an insulation blanket on a gas or propane fired water heater. The blanket can interfere with the necessary oxygen/air supply and result in a flame-out of the the burner heating element. Insulation blankets may be wrapped around electric operated water heaters.