(Seguin) — Don’t spend your Christmas dealing with broken pipes and a flooded home. With this weekend’s cold snap in the forecast, area plumbers are warning residents to cover their pipes and protect their homes especially if they will be traveling out of town this Christmas holiday.
They say this arctic blast can easily freeze the water in your pipes overnight. As water freezes, it expands, which exerts intense pressure on the pipes. This means that old, damaged, or unprepared plumbing can burst, crack or split.
The following Do-It-Yourself tips will help in guarding your pipes while temperatures dip into the teens and low 20s.
First, Insulate: You can protect your pipes from freezing just like you would yourself by insulating them. You can purchase pipe insulation to wrap around accessible pipes. If you cannot make it to the store to get pipe insulation, wrapping newspaper, old rags or even pool noodles around the pipes might not be as great, but they will be better than nothing.
Second, Raise the temperature: All of the pipework in your home is subject to freezing during an intense cold snap. To protect the pipes within your home, turn up your thermostat. The warmer air in your home will permeate into and through the walls, ceiling, and flooring, providing some warmth to the pipes. Of course, you might risk running your electricity bill up some, but it will ultimately be less expensive than having to pay for repairs or replacements due to a frozen, burst pipe.
Third, Open up: If your home has cabinets installed directly on the walls, open those right up as the cold snap begins and do not close them until it ends. Plenty of pipes are in the walls just on the other side of your cabinets. A closed cabinet effectively keeps the room temperature air way from them, though. By opening them up, you allow warmer air to get closer to the pipes.
Fourth, Run the tap: Wasting water is rarely a good idea, unless there is a forecasted cold snap. Turn each faucet on ever so slightly. Just a hair’s width of water flow reduces the chance of the pipe freezing and bursting.
Area plumbers say these simple preparations can not only save you a big headache, but it will also help ensure that they don’t have to cut things short at their own homes to come over to yours this Christmas.
As much of the state prepares for a winter blast this upcoming weekend, it’s not only pipes that folks should worry about. That’s according to Texas A&M’s AgriLife.
They say frosts and a freeze can damage or kill exposed plants, especially those in containers. They say plants in containers are more susceptible to freezing temperatures because they lack the insulation the soil provides. They should be moved inside the home or garage — any space where temperatures will stay above freezing.
If container plants cannot be moved indoors, then they ask that they be put on the south side of the house, water them well and “pile on mulch, leaves or hay to protect the roots and/or cover them with a frost blanket.”
Stringing holiday lights around sensitive plants and covering them with a tarp can even provide protection from light freezes.
Farm animals and pets most importantly will require extra attention when it is cold outside. AgriLife officials say most livestock species are adaptable, however, it’s important to provide animals shelter to protect them from cold, blustery and wet conditions.
Additional tips for pets as offered by American Humane:
Keep your pets inside, both during the day and night.
If dogs must be left outside for any period of time, they should have a draft-free shelter large enough to stand and turn around in, yet small enough to retain body heat. Use a layer of straw or other bedding material to help insulate them against the cold. Make sure the entrance faces away from the incoming wind and snow.
Keep your cats indoors. Sometimes cats left outdoors in cold weather seek shelter and heat under the hoods of automobiles and are injured or killed when the ignition is turned on. Banging loudly on the hood of your car a few times before starting the engine will help avoid a tragic situation.
Residents are also asked to check their heating devices and make sure they are clean and safe before turning on. They are also asked to check in on those individuals who might need a little assistance or warmth this holiday weekend.
The blast of arctic air is slated to arrive in the Seguin and Guadalupe County area Thursday afternoon. Temperatures are expected to dip as low as 15 to 20 degrees. Wind chill readings in the morning will be as low as zero. Highs will hold steady in the mid to upper 30s. Similar temperatures will remain in the forecast through Monday afternoon.