Before Freezing Weather
- Remove garden hoses from outside faucets. Insulate outside faucets with Styrofoam cover, rags or paper.
- Cover vents around the foundation of your home.
- Eliminate sources of cold air near water lines by repairing broken windows, insulating walls, closing off crawl spaces and eliminating drafts near doors.
- Know the location of your water shut-off valve and test it regularly. If a pipe breaks, you won’t want to have to find it then or, worse, wait for someone to arrive at your place to find it for you. In most single-family homes, the shut-off valve is in the basement or the crawlspace, on a wall facing the street.
- Insulate pipes that may be vulnerable to the cold or have caused problems before. Pipes close to exterior walls or in unheated basements or crawlspaces can be wrapped with pieces of insulation. Don’t overlook pipes near windows, which can quickly freeze. For particularly difficult pipes, consult a professional on how to select and apply heat tape.
- For outside water meters, keep the lid to the meter pit closed tightly and let any snow that falls cover it. Snow acts as insulation, so don’t disturb it. Be sure the meter box is not broken, missing or out of place. Report all broken or missing covers.
- If you didn’t get your sprinkler system off and drained this year, make sure to check for leaks when you turn on the system next spring.
In Sub-Freezing Weather
- Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
- Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children and pets.
- When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold-water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe – even at a trickle – helps prevent pipes from freezing.
- Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you may prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
If You Are Not Going To Be Home
- Shut water off at the property owner’s cut-off valve.
- Drain all outside water faucets if your house will be unoccupied for several days (leave outside faucets open).
- Or, leave home heating system on at a low setting.
- Open cabinet doors under sinks adjacent to outside walls.
- Keep your thermostat set above 55 degrees when leaving your house or business for several days.