With temperatures expected to hover below 20 degrees this weekend, homeowners should be prepared to take special precautions.
When outside temperatures drop below 20 degree, water pipes (both plastic and copper) in homes with little to no insulation are likely to freeze and break, causing disastrous unneeded headaches for area homeowners. In fact, according to a release by State Farm Insurance, a one-eighth inch crack in a pipe can spew out more than 250 gallons of water a day, destroying floors, soaking furniture, and even ruining personal items.
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This preventable disaster is time consuming and made even more difficult by frigid temperatures.
According to State Farm, homeowners can complete two simple tasks in about two minutes that can help protect their home’s pipes during severe freeze. First, open your cabinet doors to allow heat to get to piping under sinks and vanities near exterior walls. Second, run a small trickle of water through vulnerable cold and hot faucets.
Long term more cautious prevention tips include insulating all pipes than run along outside walls, floors and ceilings, disconnecting garden hoses, wrapping exposed pipes with insulating sleeves or tape, and sealing foundation cracks that let arctic air freeze pipes located in crawl spaces.
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Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said residents should keep heat sources at least three feet away from any combustible items and never use stoves or ovens as ways to warm a dwelling. He also warned not to use extension cords with space heaters and to make sure fireplaces are clean.
