Are you ready for the winter weather?

The following “tips” are designed to assist you in winterizing your unit/home:

• Insulate pipes – Water pipes, especially those installed next to or on an outside wall, should be wrapped or insulated.  Don’t forget those outside faucets.  Be sure to turn the valves off and drain the line.
• Cabinet doors – Pipes located behind cabinets have the potential to freeze.  Leaving the cabinet doors open during extreme cold will allow the heat within the unit to reach these pipes.
• Faucets – During periods of extremely cold weather, it is advisable to allow faucets to drip slowly.  By keeping the water moving through the pipes, there is less of a chance for an ice build-up in the lines, which could cause a line to rupture.
• Frozen pipes – If the pipes do freeze up, they can usually be thawed by applying heat with a space heater, a hair dryer or light bulb.  Although the use of a flame or gas torch may seem the most rapid way it is not advisable.
• Shut of valves – Know the location of the shut off valves so they can be quickly accessed if a pipe rupture does occur.