Freezing Weather Tips Greenville South Carolina

Brrr…. Yes once again the polar vortex has reared his ugly freezing head here in Greenville South Carolina! What can you do to protect yourself, property and animals?

The first and most obvious thing to do is to avoid being outside and if you must make sure your properly attired. For service professionals like ourselves a week like this means no window cleaning, pressure washing or roof cleaning in Greenville. It will be warm soon enough, but what about you hear a few tips from the American Red Cross that you could keep in mind while we endure the freeze.

Protect Your Home

• If you have a swimming pool you should drain water from the swimming pool and water sprinkler supply lines. Do not put antifreeze in these lines unless directed. Antifreeze is environmentally harmful, and is dangerous to humans, pets, wildlife, and landscaping.
• Remove, drain, and store hoses used outdoors. Frozen water inside a hose can cause it to burst and ruin it. Some homes have inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs be sure to close these. Open the outside hose bibs to allow water to drain. Keep the outside valve open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without causing the pipe to break.
• Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located in unheated areas. Look in the basement, crawl space, attic, garage, and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Both hot and cold water pipes in these areas should be insulated.
• Consider installing specific products made to insulate water pipes like a “pipe sleeve” or installing UL-listed “heat tape,” “heat cable,” or similar materials on exposed water pipes. Newspaper can provide some degree of insulation and protection to exposed pipes – even ¼” of newspaper can provide significant protection in areas that usually do not have frequent or prolonged temperatures below freezing.

How do you know if a pipe is frozen?

If yo open a faucet and only a trickle of water comes out that is a good sign that the pipe is frozen here are couple of ways to fix that:

• Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt ice in the pipe.
• Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame device.
• Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. If you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you can not thaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber.

How to protect pets

If possible allow the pets to be kept indoors either the garage, barn or inside the home. Remember if it’s freezing for you it’s also freezing for them.

If in doubt as to how to handle frozen or burst pipes call a licensed plumber in your area or call your homeowners insurance. The following tips are just that tips to help you during the freeze we are currently enduring.

Remember soon enough winter will have passed Spring will be here and taking precautions now will protect you, your pets and property and you will be enjoying your Curb Appeal not replacing it.