CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — While it’s not looking like we’ll get a white Christmas in the Tennessee Valley this year, that doesn’t mean we won’t see freezing temperatures.
And if your not prepared for these sub-freezing temperatures, your pipes could burst.
Here’s how to prevent that from happening.
We spoke with Elder’s ACE Hardware, who tells us…
“If your pipes are frozen, the first thing you need to do is identify the where the leak is.”
Elder’s ACE advises customers to leave their water dripping from a faucet as temperatures continue to drop.
Brandon Smith and John Rutter with Elder’s ACE explained to us the purpose of letting your water drip from your faucets.
“You want to open it up just enough to where you’ve got a steady drip, really, to just keep water moving so your pipes don’t freeze up.”
David Morrow with Kay Keith Plumbing says there are also other ways to prevent your pipes from freezing this season…
“You know, best to keep your crawl space, vents covered up, outside faucets covered up. Make sure you’re getting heat into those colder areas underneath, you know, cabinets and things of that nature, especially with like water heaters and garages where there’s no real heat out there. In some cases, it may not hurt to even put a little space heater out there next to it just keep those pipes from freezing up.”
Morrow emphasized home and apartment owners taking initiative.
“Most insurance companies look at it as preventative maintenance, you know. So if you’re not doing that due diligence, they’re not going to cover it.”
While also completing these steps if there pipes were to burst…
“As soon as you have the leak identified, shut off the water. So we have a couple items here. We’ve got a shut off valve. If it’s something inside the home, you might be able to use an interior shut off valve to close the water. If it’s something outside, or something that you don’t have a shut off valve, they make street keys.”
It’s also important to know what plumbing and hardware stores are in your area that will help.
“A lot of times, when you have these plumbing issues, it can be really just overwhelming. And that’s what we’re here to do, is just help you identify it.”