Avoid Frozen Pipes, Prevent a Soaked House!
Exposed water pipes and freezing weather simply aren't a good mix. Unlike other liquids, water expands when it freezes. When water pipes freeze, the expanding water can break the pipe, and you can be left with a thoroughly soaked house when those pipes thaw. The City's Water Utility has timely advice for those nights when a hard freeze is likely - about 30 degrees (F) or below for more than one hour.
If the National Weather Service predicts a hard freeze, especially one likely to last for a few days, "trickle" cold water from one or more faucets inside your home until the outside temperature rises and stays above 30 degrees (F). - Insulate all exposed outside water pipes and faucets to prevent them from freezing. Cloth or a similar material may be used, but specially designed foam pipe covers available at building supply or home improvement stores work best because they do not retain water and freeze.
- Check to make sure the cover to your water meter fits tightly. If your pipes do freeze, you can use the valve inside the meter box to shut off all the water to the house, helping to prevent indoor flooding when pipes thaw.
- If you have a backflow assembly on your water service line, it too may freeze when subjected to extremely low temperatures. Insulate the assembly properly by wrapping or covering the pipe. Avoid covering the bottom relief opening, located on the underside at the middle of the apparatus. Covering this section will create other flooding problems.
- Commercial water customers need to prepare for cold nights as well. Protect fire lines by wrapping all lines exposed to cold temperatures.
For more information, please call Your Own Utilities at 891-4YOU (4968),