Freezing temperatures headed our way this weekend: Protect those pipes!

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — A blast of winter weather temperatures will hit the region this weekend.

With it comes the first hard freeze of the season with lows in the teens and highs in the 30s.

KTSA spoke with Chris Blanco of Jon Wayne Service Company about a number of recommendations for winterizing your home.

Remember the four ‘P’s of winterizing the outside of your home:  Pipes, Plants, Pets, and People.

Pipes:  Winterizing a home begins with wrapping pipes with foam or fiberglass insulation sleeves to reduce the chance of them freezing.  These materials can be found at a hardware store or Lowe’s and Home Depot.  A temporary option is to wrap the pipes with towels, but remember, just temporarily.  Towels will hold moisture and could cause pipes to be damaged by rust.  Another suggestion is to allow the water to drip from an outside faucet as a last ditch attempt to keep them from freezing.  “32 degrees is the magic number. When we’re around that number or even below that number, you want to keep that water moving to prevent any type of freeze,” Blanco says.

Plants: Bring your plants indoors during the cold spell if possible.  If they are in the ground, then covering them is the next best option.  Flowery plants are particularly susceptible to freezing temperatures and will be killed by the cold.  Another good rule is to water plants before the freeze as a protective measure.

Pets:  No animal wants to spend the day freezing in the yard.  And, as a reminder, it is illegal to keep a dog outside without adequate shelter.  If it’s cold out, your dog or cat wants to be inside with you. 

People:  If it’s too cold for the dog, there’s no need for kids or elderly family members to be outside.  A hard freeze could bring patches of ice and a slip-and-fall accident.

Chris Blanco says winterizing indoors is just as important as outdoors.  And that means taking care to keep indoor pipes in working order.  This is as simple as  a few quick suggestions:

1. Open cabinet doors under the kitchen and bathroom sinks.  This allows warm air to move around the exposed piping and keep them warm.  “Electricity is keeping the home warm. The radiant temperature of the heating will keep pipes within the walls a reasonable temperature and they will not freeze or rupture,” Blanco says.
2. Turn on faucets to allow water to drip or run slowly.  Keeping that water moving, as it prevents water from freezing in the line, causing a burst pipe or leak along the waterline.
3. Close off unneeded rooms to consolidate and retain heat.
4. Use towels to block drafts around doors and windows.

In the event your pipes burst:  San Antonio Water System suggests you know where and how to turn off the water supply at your home.  It will avoid water damage to your property and will save you money on repairs, particularly from dripping water heaters, frozen pipes, or other water related mishaps.