Winter is here and the forecast is for early season bitter cold nights. If your water enters your home through a crawl space , garage or basement. Make sure doors and windows are closed and heat is on. Not only do frozen water lines result in no water but can be very costly. The cost to repair/ replace frozen water lines and meters are a homeowner responsibility. Please review your installation and make sure it’s protected.
Among many precautions to take:
- Check in on Senior relatives and friends;
- Keep all pets indoors;
- Turn off and drain all outdoor spigots and hoses and cover with insulated materials you can buy at local stores like Home Depot;
- Turn off and drain automatic sprinkler systems;
- Check your antifreeze levels in all vehicles;
- Do not leave space heaters on at night;
- Tightly close doors and windows to the outside.
- Since this freeze will last a few days, in older homes you may want to open cabinets beneath kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow warmer air to circulate around pipes. Be sure to remove any toxic substances located in these cabinets if there are children or pets living in the residence;
- If any of your plumbing is near an exterior wall you should drip your lines whenever temperatures dip well below freezing;
- Don’t bring your grills or generators into your home;
- Don’t overload outlets with space heaters or electric blankets;
- Don’t use a kitchen stove to warm the house; and
- Keep a cold-weather kit in your car, including blanket, flashlight, flares and sand or cat litter to provide traction if stuck.
There are many other preventive measures you can follow – these are but a few.
Kym Millard
CAMO Pollution Control Inc.
Phone: 845-463-7310
Fax: 845-463-7305
