Avoid a freeze (and a flood)
If you’re in New England, keep an eye on your plumbing this week! Pipes on exterior walls - commonly kitchen sinks, and sometimes bathrooms or even hot water baseboards for heat - are at the greatest risk of freezing in extreme cold.
When we dip into single digits, it can be just cold enough to overcome your insulation's R-value in the walls, even if your heating system is keeping up inside. Do you have plumbing on exterior walls, or is your basement or garage prone to getting very cold?
Opening under-sink cabinets to let heat in is a good just-in-case option, a first line of defense.
If you're planning to be away or are concerned about freeze risk overnight, a slow drip from your faucets can help keep things flowing.
If faucets start sputtering or running slow, it's a warning sign that pipes are beginning to freeze!
If things do freeze solid (if a section of baseboard heat is remaining cold, or if a faucet is not running at all when turned on), remember to OPEN faucets while you work to warm things up. The open faucet will allow space for frozen sections to expand without bursting, and the return of flow will alert you to a thaw. Try a space heater or hair dryer under cabinets or in areas where plumbing runs between floors to gently heat things up.
Right this moment is a good time to refresh your memory on the location of your main water shutoff: this would have been called out in your home inspection, or look for your water meter (in the city, usually toward the front of the house in the basement) and the valve inbound from that meter. If a pipe bursts, turn OFF water at this main! Then, call your plumber, pronto.
For more guidance on avoiding a plumbing headache in frigid temps, take a look back at a piece in the Boston Globe from the polar vortex season of 2018.
Stay warm,
Kate