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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Preparing Your Home for Extreme Cold

(originally posted 1/6/14) on samsbrothers.net)

I am about to type the most redundant statement of the day, "It's COLD!"  It's not just your normal January cold; it's an extreme, frozen tundra kind of cold.  Is your home prepared to handle it?  One of the most common problems with this excessive cold is frozen pipes. Do you know what to do if your pipes freeze or even worse, freeze and burst?  The best thing you can do is be prepared.  Make sure any exposed pipes are covered with insulation, plastic or newspaper.  In addition, confirm that you know where your home's main water valve is located.  Check the line coming into your house to ensure that it isn't rusted or blocked by debris preventing you from turning the valve in case a pipe does burst.   

If you haven't had the opportunity to prepare your pipes, leave your faucets on a slow 
drip during the coldest temperatures to help prevent freezing.  You can also open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to pipes under sinks that aren't insulated.  In addition, make sure you know  how to shut off the main water line to your house.  You can find simple, step by step instructions with pictures, here.  Make sure to leave water faucets turned on when you shut your main valve off.

As always, feel free to contact us if we can help with any winter preparation or emergency repairs, we're happy to help!

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