Preventing Frozen Water Pipes

Every winter, some homeowners face the expense and inconvenience caused by frozen water pipes. You can avoid this by taking a few simple precautions:

1. Hoses should be disconnected from outside faucets and hydrants to allow the water to drain from the faucet. All backflow prevention devices can be removed and stored with your garden hoses, but must be reinstalled in the spring before a hose is reattached to your faucet, to prevent a potential cross connection hazard, as required by the State of Nebraska Health and Human Services and local City codes and Ordinances. 
2. Icicle formations on a faucet would indicate that the faucet is leaking and should be repaired to prevent it from freezing and breaking and preventing further damages.
3. All services which have water meters in pits should be insulated. The pit should be packed, preferably with batted fiberglass insulation.
4. Mobile and modular homes with water meter and or service lines located below the floor should be wrapped with heat tape and insulation to prevent freezing.
5. All automatic lawn sprinkler systems should be drained. Many systems need to be blown out to prevent freezing.

Hardware and building supply stores will have pipe-insulating materials and local plumbing companies are knowledgeable in various winterization requirements.

Many times, interior damage can be minimized if all family members know where the main water shutoff valve is located. All service lines should have a valve before and after the water meter. So find them now and show everyone in your family where they are and how they operate. In the event that the valves do not work, you may want to contact a plumbing service to have them repaired.

If you have any concerns, please contact John Sauer, Water Superintendent at 284-3925.