PC Utility Maintenance Department: Tips to Protect Plumbing Now

The Utility Maintenance Department would like to help prevent costly plumbing repairs or damage to your home. The forecast predicting extremely cold weather and low wind chills causes lots of water issues and hopefully following these tips will help!

1. If you have had problems with frozen pipes in the past, keep a trickle of water running from the highest faucet in your house. During extremely cold periods, this trickle should be the size of a pencil point. You will be billed for the water used but this procedure may help prevent more costly plumbing repairs resulting from broken pipes.

2. Disconnect and drain the garden hose connection. This will help prevent outside faucets and pipes from freezing, leaking or breaking.

3. Close outside vents, crawl spaces and doors so cold air doesn’t seep inside.

4. If a sink is located against an outside wall, open the cabinet doors overnight to allow warm air to reach water pipes.

5. If you have an empty house: If you plan to turn the heat off, drain all the water from the pipes, toilets and water heater. Turn off the power source to the water heater. If your heater operates on gas, turn the heater on “pilot.”

6. Wrap pipes subject to cold or freezing in heat tape available from hardware stores. It must be kept plugged in all winter.