A frozen pipe is a disaster nobody wants to deal with, but extreme cold can leave anyone’s home vulnerable.
Strong winds, like the weather Naperville will experience this week, can make pipes more susceptible to freezing. It makes it more likely that a draft will enter a home and drop the temperature further.
But there are several ways to winterize your pipes.
“The best thing you can do is to run your water,” said Kerry Anthenat, a water distribution and metering supervisor for the City of Naperville. “It doesn’t have to run a lot it just has to keep water flowing. You don’t want it dripping, just a slow stream of water will keep the pipes from freezing.”
Adding insulation or opening your cabinets will also allow the heat from your house to keep those pipes warm.
But if you do wind up with a frozen pipe, using a hairdryer or monitoring a space heater while it warms the area is a good way to thaw the freeze.
If you notice a crack in a frozen pipe, the best thing is to leave it to a professional.
“If you see a crack in the pipe you want to shut the water off by the water meter,” said Anthenat. “You should have a valve on each side of the water meter, one of those should work. Shut the water off in the house and call a plumber.”
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
