We've got extended freezing temperatures headed our way over the next few nights. Now's the time to protect your pipes before things get ugly. Here are some tips from SAWS.org on what you can do to help prevent costly repairs from busted water pipes.
For pier and beam, prefab, or mobile homes: Get some foam or fiberglass pipe insulation sleeves from the hardware store and wrap those exposed pipes in your crawl space. Don't have insulation handy? Cloth, rags, even plastic bags and tape will work in a pinch.
Got plumbing in cabinets on exterior walls? Open those cabinet doors up. You want the warm air from inside your house circulating around those pipes.
Outside faucets: Disconnect your hoses first. Then cover every hose bib and exposed outdoor pipe with foam insulation or faucet protectors. Even wrapping them with rags or newspapers is better than nothing.
Irrigation systems: Shut them off at the valve. You typically don't need to drain the whole system.
When temps really drop: Let a faucet inside drip slowly. Just enough to keep water moving through your pipes.
Your plants: Cover vulnerable ones with cloth (not plastic) that reaches all the way to the ground. An old bedsheet works fine. Weight down the edges so it stays put. For more plant protection tips, check out GardenStyleSA.com/freeze.
SAWS has more cold weather prep information in English at saws.org/BeReady and in Spanish at saws.org/Preparate.
