Winter conditions have arrived in the Willamette Valley with an increasing chance of temperatures below freezing. Now is a great time to make sure your pipes are protected from icy weather. Here are six things you can do now to help prevent frozen pipes later:
Before It Gets Cold
1: Insulate. Cover any exposed pipes in your home's crawl space, attic and garage. If you have a well, be sure that the cover or pump house is sufficiently insulated.
Related: What’s a Rapid Cycling Well Pump?
2: Seal. Close any openings that could allow cold air to move around water pipes.
3: Disconnect. Remove all garden hoses from your outdoor hose bibs.
When the Temperature Drops
4: Trickle. Moving water is more difficult to freeze. Let a small amount of water trickle overnight from your cold water faucets.
5: Heat. Set your thermostat to keep the house warmer on the coldest nights. You'll pay a little more in heating costs, but that will likely be a lot cheaper than fixing broken pipes and damage from water.
6: Circulate. Open cabinet doors below sinks—especially on outside walls—to let the heated air surround the exposed water pipes.
Got Trouble?
On well water systems, you may get water flowing again with low heat from a heat lamp or hair dryer gently applied to the pipes near the pressure tank or any other pipes exposed to the open air.
If you suspect that your water pipes have frozen, it is usually best to just wait until temperatures rise. Open a faucet and call us at (541) 928-8942 as soon as possible. Never attempt to thaw pipes with a torch or open flame.
If a frozen water pipe bursts, shut off the water at the main supply valve. On city water systems, this is usually at your water meter box underground near the street. On well water systems, this is usually in your pump house. Then call us at (541) 928-8942 as soon as possible.
