02/16/2021
🌨 Good morning tenants and owners,
We are obviously having a record low temperatures in our area. Here are some tips from a trusted plumber on things you can do to prepare for this weather! ❄️
⭐️We at Mike Tilton Plumbing would like everyone to know a few things about the incoming winter weather.
We are expecting snow and freezing rain. That means no-one can get out and drive including plumbers.
If it stays below freezing for 72 hours the plumbing in a lot houses will freeze, our plumbing systems are not designed for that level of sustained cold.
Pipes frozen solid will not provide water to you until they thaw, which unless the reports are wrong will be a few days.
You need water to drink, flush toilets, cook, etc and will not have it in some cases
Be prepared for that scenario. Run a few faucets inside your house the entire duration of the freeze. That does not mean put it at a drip. That will not suffice here with that level of freeze. Put a steady stream in your faucets. That's a small, pencil lead sized stream that doesn't try and turn into a drip on you. Check periodically to be sure it stays at a stream.. This especially critical on plumbing inside an outside wall and for people who's house is not on a slab (pier and beam homes). Those pipes will be at the most risk. Outside hydrants need to be covered by a foam hydrant cover but shoving more insulation underneath the cover (clothing, fiberglass insulation, etc) would be a really good idea
Remember hot water freezes faster than cold water.
Open up your bathroom and kitchen cabinets to allow heat from your house in them. Even if you have no heat, your house will stay a little warmer than the exterior wall.
You can flush your toilet with buckets of water. Pour a bucket of water directly towards the flush hole. Make sure it's enough to push out the entirety of the bowl water (1-2 gallons, more for 90s or earlier model toilets). This mimics the flushing action of the toilet, which uses the volume and pressure of the toilet tank to push the bowl contents out. So think of it as this...instead of a tank full of water causing the flushing action, you have a bucket full of water.
If your washing machine is on an exterior wall, particularly a north or northwest facing exterior wall, take the hoses loose from the washer. Then stick the hoses inside the drain and turn those on slightly so they run and drain into the pipe. You may have to force them a little. This will not be easy to do for some people. If you can't do this don't panic the insulation in your wall plus the streaming faucets may be good enough to handle protecting the piping. Check the area around this piping at the time of the thaw if unable to do this.
Learn now how to cut off your water heater and also the water at the street (see attached pics). If your water heater has a wheel style valve (called a gate valve) turn it counter clockwise until the water shuts off. Do not force a gate valve!! Even if you can't get it all the way off, use that as your steady stream of water, just be sure to turn on the hot side of a fixture to give it a place to run out of the pipe or it will build up pressure and possibly freeze. Once it thaws if there's is a frozen pipe that was iced over and the ice blocked the flow it will give you the impression that there's no leaks. However once it thaws and becomes free of that ice, it will leak water out of any splits or cracks caused by the icing. This is when knowing how to turn off your water will come into play.
The reason you need to learn how to turn off both the hot and cold water is so you can isolate the 2. You may not be completely out of water if only a hot line is busted because you can keep still keep your cold up and running after you turn off the hot water
Plumbing companies will be completely overrun with frozen and burst pipe calls, and may not be able to get to you for a week or more. Be ready for that. Have plenty of water on hand for drinking and flushing. Start preparing now. A 5 gallon bucket of water will give you 3 or 4 flushes but use sparingly and pour it in fast and forcefully, not a slow and steady pour.
IMPORTANT
Do NOT try to heat your home with gas appliances of any kind of heaters that are not rated for interior use. This can cause carbon monoxide poisoning which will result in death. A good rule of thumb with these appliances is if you're not sure about that, do not use it. It is not worth the risk to you or your family. Bundle up.
