01/10/2022
Some cold weather is on the way! Here are some easy tips to avoid frozen potable water and forced hot water pipes.
1.) Leave kitchen cabinets and vanity doors open if they are on outside walls.
2.) Remove hoses from outside faucets. Make sure if you have outside faucets that are not the frost free style, they are shut off inside the home and drained down (if possible) with the outside faucet left in the open position.
3.) Check for drafts in basement. This is where most freezes happen, especially with no snow built up to stop the wind from coming in through sills. Field stone foundations are the most susceptible. Expanding foam insulation, fiberglass insulation stuffed into the source of the draft or anything else, even newspapers. Just to get through this weather.
4.) Check your thermostat batteries if the thermostat requires them. Make sure thermostats are not turned down. This is very important for forced hot water heating systems. Forced hot water piping is commonly located on the outside walls of homes where they can be exposed to cold. keeping the water moving will prevent heating lines from freezing. Be aware of thermostats becoming satisfied from wood stoves, electric heaters, even large screen televisions. This causes water to not circulate when other areas of the heating zone are more likely to freeze.
5.) Know how to shut off the water main in your home. This might be the most important. When warmer weather arrives, unnoticed frozen pipes will no longer be frozen. This is something to really watch for to avoid a burst pipe thawing and causing water damage.
