How To Keep Your Pipes From Freezing During A Wyoming Winter
When I was a kid, at one point every winter the pipes in our house would freeze. Something would happen and we would get caught off guard by the extreme cold and everyone would be scrambling to try and fix the situation before it got worse and they burst.
Not everyone catches their frozen pipes before it's too late. Frozen pipes in the winter can lead to thousands of dollars worth of damage that could've been prevented with a few simple steps.
The City Of Mills posted a reminder to residents last week and since we're going to be dropping to sub zero temperatures, we felt it was a perfect time to send out a reminder and help you with ways to prevent this nightmare of a situation.
According to the Red Cross, pipes can freeze that are exposed to severe cold, in situation like these:
- outdoor hoses
- swimming pool lines
- sprinkler lines
- Unheated Water Supply Pipes
- in basements
- crawl spaces
- attics
- garages
- kitchen cabinets
- Pipe That Run On Exterior Of Walls or Have No Insulation
To protect your pipes from freezing in below freezing temperatures:
- Keep Doors Closed To Garages That House Water Lines
- Open Kitchen Cabinets To Allow Warmer Air To Circulate
- When The Weather Is Extremely Cold, Let Cold Water Drip Or Trickle From Faucet With Exposed Pipes (running water prevents freezing)
- Keep Your Thermostat The Same All Day/Night (running the heat at the same all day may cause a bit higher bill, but prevent extreme damage in the future.
- If You're Going To Leave Home, Leave Your Thermostat Set No Lower Than 55 Degrees
If Your Pipes DO Freeze:
- Keep Your Faucets Open As You Work To Melt The Pipes It Will Allow The Water To Flow When It Starts To Melt
- Apply Heat With Using An Electric Heat Pad, Hair Dryer, Portable Space Heater, or Wrap Pipes With Towels Soaked In Hot Water (DO NOT USE A TORCH, PROPANE HEATERS, CHARCOAL STOVE, OR OTHER OPEN FLAME SOURCE)
- Apply Heat Until Full Water Pressure Restored If Your Not Able To Find The Leak Or Not Able To Unthaw Call A Professinal
- Check All Other Faucets, If One Pipe Freezes, Others Could Too.
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