Pullman Real Estate -- Baby it is Cold Outside ~ Household Tips To Keep Your Pipes From Freezing
By Lori Cofer REALTOR ~ "Your Pullman WA Real Estate Connection"
Baby it is cold outside! Last night the weather was forcasted to be, 12 degrees but we woke up to -14 degrees. Wow, someone was way off! When the mercury dips that low there are some easy home precautions that you might want to take. As they say, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
1. Make sure cupboards under sinks are left open. Cold air can be trapped under your sink, but with the cupboard open heat can freely circulate keeping pipes warmer.
2. Leave a small stream of both hot&cold water flowing. Some people make the mistake of just keeping the cold water going. Big mistake! Hot water actually freezes faster than cold....so make sure you leave a bit of BOTH going.
3. Check out your gas hot water tank. Gas hot water tanks need to vent outside. When temperatures drop the cold air from outside could be sucking right in that vent and on copper tubing. The best solution is to have the tubing wrapped with electrical tape. And it doesn't hurt to have the tank insulated too! In a pinch, make sure there is plenty of heat around the tank and with leaving the water in a stream of hot and cold will force your tank to kick on too!
4. Double check to make sure hoses are disconnected and outside hose bibs are protected. This is typically taken care of as you get the house ready for winter, but it is always a good idea to double check....just in case someone reattached a hose during a warm spell.
Lori Cofer REALTOR
Pullman WA
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