Due to cold weather and power outages over Christmas, many households had to leave their homes to find a warm place. My son was one of these. He was worried about his water pipes freezing and bursting. A neighbor gave him some great advice that worked very well, giving him peace of mind and avoiding expensive repairs. Others may like to use this tip if they find themselves in the same predicament.
Just go to the shut-off valve at the meter, and shut it off. Then open all the faucets in the house and let the cold water run until there is no more water coming out of the faucets. This means the pipes are now empty. The reason pipes burst is because the water in them expands as it freezes. So no water----no freezing. Winter is not over yet, so someone may be able to use this tip.
Harlean from AR
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We had an unusually cold snap during the last few days in Houston. Many folks had pipes which burst. Others were outside in their cold weather gear wrapping pipes and covering outdoor faucets.
To keep your outside water faucet from freezing and getting damaged, keep the hose unhooked during freezing weather. Also, Walmart carries a Styrofoam cover made to hook onto the faucet and keep it covered.
In areas with freezing temperatures, if you don't have your pipes wrapped, you can leave your inside faucet dripping (just a small trickle will do, from the furtherest faucet from the water pipe entrance of your home) while you're sleeping so your water lines won't freeze and burst. By Terri H.
