Baby, It’s Cold Out There….

Prevention tips for frozen pipes

• Disconnect garden hoses and shut off the water supply to those faucets.
• Turn off and drain water from any above ground exterior pipes, drip lines or pool supply lines.
•  Insulate exposed pipes. If your garage isn’t heated, remember to wrap any exposed pipes in there, too.
• Keep your thermostat set above 55 degrees at all times.

If you lose power during a winter storm and the temperature starts to drop in your home, allow a slow trickle of water to flow through faucets. This can help prevent pipes from bursting.

Stop ice dam damage – insulate, ventilate and mitigate

• Insulate, seal or weather-strip all attic access doors.

•  Keep your attic well-ventilated to outside air.

•   Make sure your attic floor has adequate insulation to minimize the amount of heat escaping into the attic from the house. (An added benefit is lower heating costs.)

•     Prevent ice dams by removing heavy accumulations of snow from your roof. This allows water from the melted snow to reach the gutters and drain to the ground. Consult a roofing professional for assistance. Do not climb on your roof.

Julie Coover has been an agent for American Family Insurance since 2008.  Her office is located at 32565 Lexington Ave Ste B, De Soto, KS, 66018.  Julie can be contacted at (913) 583-1219, jcoover@amfam.com or online at www.juliecoover.com. Above content provided by Julie Coover.

If your pipes do freeze, the following may help unfreeze them:

Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame device.

Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. If you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you can not thaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber.

Frozen pipes can be extremely costly if they break.  Depending on the location it could require tearing out sheet rock and multiple other costly and inconvenient repairs.  It is extremely important to heat your home if the outside temperatures reach extremely lows.