One thing you can predict about Pacific Northwest weather - it will be unusual. A stretch of hot dry weather in summer – unusual. A white Christmas – unusual. A week of temperatures below freezing the week before Thanksgiving – unusual. It would also be unusual to have more than one big winter storm. However, don’t be surprised if there is more winter weather to come. Our phones at KPUD were ringing last week with tales of woe about frozen pipes. It’s time now to think ahead to our next deep freeze. Here are some tips:
- Learn how to shut off the water supply to your house.
- Insulate all exposed pipes including outside faucets. Don’t forget pipes in unheated outbuildings, garages and pump houses.
- Disconnect all garden hoses. Shut off and drain any outdoor water features or irrigation systems.
- Cover footing and foundations vents. Keep temperatures in the house to at least 55 degrees F.
- Open cabinet doors to allow heat to reach pipes beneath sinks.
- In extended cold weather let an indoor faucet drip slightly. Select a faucet that is on an outside wall furthest from the water meter.
IF Your Pipes Freeze
- Be ready to turn off your water supply if the pipes are cracked a broken.
- Do not use an open flame on a frozen water pipe.
- Turn on a faucet that is fed by the frozen pipe so you can tell when it begins to thaw out.
- Arrange a sheet of tin foil behind the frozen pipe to reflect heat back onto the pipe.
- Blow hot air evenly onto the pipe using a hair dryer or heat gun. You can also wrap a heating pad around the pipe. Begin thawing close to the open faucet and work backwards.
- When the faucet begins to drip – check for cracks or small leaks and get them repaired immediately.
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