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Louisville Water encourages homeowners to prepare for winter blast
We’re starting off 2025 very similar to last year with a stretch of dangerously cold air and potential snow. With single-digit low temperatures predicted, preparation is key. The frigid weather can lead to frozen pipes or worse, pipes that burst and cause a giant mess.
It’s fairly common that when we experience a cold snap, Louisville Water receives calls from customers reporting they don’t have water. The majority of the time, it’s a case where the customer’s pipes have frozen and/or burst. While we don’t maintain your internal plumbing, we can offer simple ways to prepare your home and offer tips to try to avoid those costly headaches.
First, try to eliminate the amount of cold air flowing into your home around water pipes.
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Wrap exposed pipes with insulating material which you can buy at a hardware store.
- Open cabinet doors to allow heat to circulate around the pipes.
- If your home has a crawl space, cover the outside vents to prevent arctic air from freezing the pipes.
- If your house has a slab foundation, close the garage door. Some water pipes are located under concrete floors in the garage.
During bitterly cold weather such as what’s forecasted, we suggest running a small trickle of water from a cold-water faucet in an area of the home where pipes are either exposed or have a history of freezing. The steady flow keeps the water moving, so that it doesn’t have time to freeze.
Lastly, you should know where your main water shutoff valve is located. This valve controls the flow of water into your house. It’s usually located near the water heater, in the basement, or in a utility closet. Turning off the water in the event of a burst pipe can minimize the damage. Once you find the valve, tag it with a waterproof hanger or a ribbon. Louisville Water provides free tags for customers at its downtown office on Third Street. If you need one, simply ask a customer agent when you visit us to pay your bill.
Louisville Water provides a vital resource. We proactively plan for impactful weather by having additional crews on standby and maintaining our own salt trucks, should we need to use them. We also coordinate with LG&E for priority restoration in the chance we lose power at one of our facilities. Rest assured, Louisville Water is committed to delivering high-quality drinking water year-round.
Pure Tap pro-tip: It’s a good idea to be aware of your normal water usage. This information is helpful when you see an unexpected increase from one billing cycle to the next. We’ve made it easier to track your usage in the Pure Connect℠ portal. You can also sign up for alerts to be notified of unusual activity, which could indicate a leak.
