Today is officially the first day of winter and as temperatures are expected to dip below freezing in the coming weeks, home owners need to take necessary precautions to avoid frozen pipes.
Plymouth Utility Superintendent Donnie Davidson has a few helpful tips to help protect homes this winter season. Superintendent Davidson reported that most incidents happen at the beginning of the season since people don’t take these simple steps before the cold weather hits.
His first tip was to be sure that all hoses are disconnected and outdoor faucets are turned off. He also stressed the importance of making sure that crawlspace doors and other openings are securely shut to keep drafts from entering the home and cooling the water pipes.
He said if you happen to see an opening on your neighbor’s home, you should alert them immediately. He stated, “A lot of people will open a crawl space window in the summertime to get some ventilation just to get fresh air going through there and a lot of times they will forget to close it and those are some of the biggest things we see that causes frozen pipes and things like that”
Davidson also said that when it comes to heat sources, be sure they aren’t placed too close to PVC pipes since high temperatures could result in the material melting.
Additionally, the superintendent mentioned that it will not be necessary to lightly run faucets until we face extremely cold temperatures. However, Davidson advised home owners to be aware of where their pipes are located. Snow can actually act as an insulator so areas like side walks and drive ways where snow is removed can freeze faster and deeper. If your pipes are located in spots like that you may need to run your faucet a little earlier than others.
