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Cold & Freezing
Preventing & Thawing Frozen Pipes
A frozen pipe can burst and flood a home. Prevention is cheap; a burst is expensive.
What to do
- 1Before a freeze: insulate exposed pipes, disconnect garden hoses, and seal drafts near plumbing.
- 2Let faucets drip slightly during hard freezes; a trickle resists freezing.
- 3Open cabinet doors so warm air reaches pipes along exterior walls.
- 4To thaw: open the faucet, then warm the pipe with a hair dryer or warm towels from the faucet end inward.
- 5If a pipe bursts, shut off the main water valve immediately and call a plumber.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Thawing with an open flame (fire risk)
- Ignoring a faucet that stops flowing
- Not knowing where the main shutoff is
Good to know
- Know where your main water shutoff is BEFORE an emergency — it saves a flooded house.
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