Tips to Prevent Frozen Water Pipes in Your Home
- Disconnect and drain all garden hoses and install covers on outside faucets.
- Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
- Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
- Identify the location of the main water valve and the valve on your water heater. (Learning the location of these valves may come in handy during an emergency.)
- Wrap pipes nearest exterior walls and in crawl spaces with pipe insulation or heating tape. This will prevent freezing, especially for interior pipes that run along outside walls.
- Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily 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.
- Close all windows near water pipes; cover or close open-air vents. Freezing temperatures combined with wind drafts can cause pipes to freeze more frequently.
- During really cold weather, open the cold water tap and let the water run at a trickle to keep the water in the pipes moving.
Before You Go Away
- Set the thermostat in your house no lower than 55 degrees F.
- Ask a friend or neighbor to check your house daily to make sure it’s warm enough to prevent freezing or,
- Shut off and drain the water system. Be aware that if you have a fire protection sprinkler system in your house, it will be deactivated when you shut off the water.
If a Pipe Freezes
- If a faucet or pipe inside your house freezes, you can thaw it using a good hair dryer. (For safety purposes, avoid operating a hair dryer around standing water.)
- To thaw a frozen pipe, heat water on the stove, soak towels in the hot water and wrap them around cold sections of the pipes.
- When thawing a pipe, start thawing it nearest to the faucet. Make sure the faucet is turned on so that melted water can drip out.
- Never try to thaw frozen pipes with torches or other means using extreme heat or flame. If heated too quickly waterlines can explode and cause serious injury.
If a Pipe Bursts
- Shut off water at the main valve.
- If the break is in a hot water pipe, the valve on top of the water heater should be closed.
- Call a plumber. Keep an emergency number nearby for quick access.
If you believe that the water meter is frozen
- Contact Cle Elum City Hall by calling (509) 674-2262.
- Service lines from the meter to the water main are maintained by the City who will use all diligence to prevent interruption of water service, BUT the city shall not be responsible for temporary water interruption dues to breakage or freezing.
- Service lines, pipes and plumbing on the house side of the meter are considered private, and are the customer’s responsibility.