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Louisville Water offers helpful tips ahead of a big temperature dip
The holiday spirit might make you feel warm and bright, but the temperatures are about to plunge, day and night! The frigid temperatures can lead to frozen pipes, which aren’t the gifts of choice this holiday season.
Every year during extreme cold weather, Louisville Water receives calls from customers whose internal water lines have frozen and/or burst.
While we don’t maintain your internal plumbing, we can show you ways to prepare your home and offer tips to try to avoid an expensive mess.
Before cold weather hits, work to eliminate the amount of cold air coming into your home around water pipes.
- Wrap exposed pipes with insulating material. You can purchase these materials from a hardware store.
- If your home has a crawl space, cover the outside vents to prevent winter winds 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 extreme cold weather, it’s a good idea to run a small, steady stream of water from a cold-water faucet in an area of the home where pipes are exposed or have frozen in the past. The water flow will help prevent the water from freezing. Also, open cabinet doors to allow heat to surround the pipes.
Finally, regardless of the weather, locate the water shutoff valve. 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 locate 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. Just make sure to ask a customer agent when you visit us!
