Cold Weather Tips From Rock Hill Utilities

1/8/2010

Protect Your Water Pipes

• Insulate exposed pipes and replace wet insulation.
• Located and wrap faucets and pipes in unheated or susceptible areas such as outer walls, the garage, attic, below a deck, crawlspace or outside.
• Drain or disconnect garden hoses and outside hose connections
• Check your meter box cover.  Make sure it’s not broken, displaced or missing.  Keep it closed.
• Use foam covers over outside faucets.

If  Freezing Temperatures are Predicted

• Eliminate cold air blowing across pipes in crawlspace by closing draft vents.
• Leave cabinet doors open so room heat can reach the pipes if on an outside wall.
• Don’t set your thermostat below 55 degrees.
• As a last remedy, let a slow steady drip of water run from the highest faucet in your house.
• Locate and know where your main water shut-off  is.  If a pipe breaks, the shut-off will allow you to turn off all water coming into the house. 

Heating in Cold Temperatures

• Install a programmable thermostat and set it to lower the temperature at night and whenever the house is unoccupied. 
• Clean or replace furnace filters monthly during the heating season.
• Seal cracks and openings around windows and doors with weather stripping and caulk.
• Cover windows with a layer of insulating film.
• On sunny days, open your blinds and curtains.
• Install a water heater blanket around your electric hot water heater.
• Use extreme care when using space heaters.  Don’t place them near curtains, furniture, newspapers or other combustible materials, or on rugs.  Use portable electric heaters to heat a small area. 
• Install a carbon monoxide alarm. 
• Make sure indoor heaters like wood stoves or kerosene heaters have adequate ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.