Water meters

Frozen water pipes can cause your pipes to break. Being prepared and informed may help you avoid the messy and often expensive issue of frozen pipes. The American Red Cross provides information and suggestions around how to prevent water pipes in the home from freezing, and how to thaw them if they do freeze.

Pipes that freeze most frequently are those that are exposed to severe cold, such as:

• Outdoor hose bibs
• Swimming pool supply lines
• Water sprinkler lines,
• Water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets.
• Pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation

Before cold weather begins, you can prevent freezing of water supply lines and pipes by following these recommendations:

• Drain water from swimming pool and water sprinkler supply lines following manufacturer's or installer's directions. Do not put antifreeze in these lines unless directed. Antifreeze is environmentally harmful, and is dangerous to humans, pets, wildlife, and landscaping.
• Remove, drain, and store hoses used outdoors. Close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs. Open the outside hose bibs to allow water to drain. Keep the outside valve open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without causing the pipe to break.
• Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located in unheated areas. Look in the basement, crawl space, attic, garage, and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Both hot and cold water pipes in these areas should be insulated.
• Consider insulating water pipes to prevent freezing.
• Consider relocating exposed pipes to provide increased protection from freezing.
• Add insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in these areas.

Follow these tips to prevent freezing when the weather is cold:

• Keep the garage door closed if you have water supply lines in the garage.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
• Let water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.

If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle of water comes out, it is likely a frozen pipe. Follow these tips for thawing frozen pipes.