Drip Faucets: Drip both hot and cold water at faucets in kitchen and bathroom. This not only keeps water moving through the pipes, but relieves built-up water pressure in the pipes if they should freeze. Set single lever faucets in the center so both hot and cold lines drip. Pay particular attention to pipes running in outside walls. If the line is already frozen, leave the faucet on at a very slow trickle so when the pipe unfreezes, pressure will be released helping to avoid a burst pipe.
Laundry Room: If there isn’t a faucet in the laundry room to drip, set your washing machine on warm, and start the fill cycle periodically for a few minutes to run water through the pipes.
Icemaker: Set your icemaker to make ice if the icemaker water line runs under house.
Cabinets: Open cabinet doors under sinks in the kitchen and bath if the cabinets are located on exterior walls, to allow inside heat to pipes. You may also use a small space heater (with supervision only) to keep an area warm to avoid frozen pipes.
Heat: Set thermostat to 68 degrees or higher during periods of cold weather.
Check for Leaks: Once the weather has warmed up, turn off any dripping faucets as well as the icemaker, then monitor the water meter for any unseen leaks.
If a Pipe Freezes
If a faucet or pipe inside your house freezes, you can thaw it using a good hair dryer. (For safety purposes, avoid operating a hair dryer around standing water.)
To thaw a frozen pipe, heat water on the stove, soak towels in the hot water and wrap them around cold sections of the pipes.
When thawing a pipe, start thawing it nearest to the faucet. Make sure the faucet is turned on so that melted water can drip out.
If a Pipe Bursts
Shut off water at the main valve.
If the break is in a hot water pipe, the valve on top of the water heater should be closed.
