No one
wants the misfortune of having a furnace go out or to
have problems with their pipes freezing during a cold
winter, but several Denver homes will experience these
problems. As Denver continues to experience cold
weather, make sure your home is prepared.
Before the cold:
Schedule bi-annual furnace maintenance
Your
furnace should been inspected by a Heating professional.
Air filters should be changed at your furnace's
recommended change period. Your furnace should be
cleaned regularly by a professional and if need be your
ventilation equipment may need to be cleaned.
Know
the location of your water shut-off and regularly test
it.
In case
the worst happens and a pipe breaks, you won't want to
wait for someone to arrive at your place to find it for
you. In most single-family homes, the shut-off valve is
in the basement or crawl space on a wall facing the
street.
Turn
off and drain automatic and manual sprinkler systems
before the first freeze.
You'll
thank yourself in the spring. The freezing and thawing
cycle can create cracks and weak spots in the sprinkler
system, triggering silent underground leaks or
mini-geysers.
Turn
off outdoor faucets and be sure to disconnect hoses.
Make
sure the faucet and outside piping is fully drained. A
valve inside many houses will shut off the water's flow.
Disconnect the hose to assure that freeze-proof faucets
will drain.
Winterize unheated or vacant buildings.
Significant property damage and water loss can occur
before burst pipes are discovered. Most susceptible are
fire protection systems.
Insulate water pipes that may be vulnerable to the cold
or have posed problems before.
Pipes close to exterior walls or in
unheated basements can be wrapped with pieces of
insulation. Don't overlook pipes near windows, which can
quickly freeze. Insulation, and or, heat tape does
not guarantee that pipes will not freeze.
DURING A DEEP FREEZE (-5 DEGREES AND BELOW)
Know
who to call during an emergency.
Keep a
plumbing and heating company's phone number nearby in
case of an emergency.
Keep
open cabinet doors leading to exposed pipes so that
household air can warm them.
The
natural flow of warmer air will help combat problems.
Keep
attached garage doors shut.
Occasionally, plumbing is routed there, leaving it
vulnerable to winter's worst.
Crack a faucet farthest from the place where your water
enters the house.
A very
slow drip will keep water molecules moving, reducing the
chance that pipes will freeze. Don't forget to place a
bucket underneath the faucet so the water can be saved
for other household uses.
Keep
your thermostat above 65 degrees when leaving your house
or business for several days.
This practice is particularly
important in houses and businesses prone to pipe
freezing.
IF
YOU THINK A PIPE HAS ALREADY FROZEN:
Don't wait for nature to take its course; thaw the pipe
as soon as possible.
If you
do it yourself, shut off the water or test the shut-off
valve to make sure it works before beginning work.
In
thawing, slow is best.
A hairdryer trained at the frozen
area of the pipe is appropriate: a blow torch is not.
Pipes that warm too fast can break anyway.
