WILMINGTON — With cold weather forecast for later this week, the Wilmington Water Department is reminding customers that they must be proactive to prevent the pipes in their home from freezing.
Older homes and those with a crawl space are particularly susceptible to pipe freezing.
Wind gusts from the west of up to 80 km/h throughout the day will produce wind chill factors of around 20 degrees below zero on Friday and Friday evening. This makes pipes on the west outer walls more vulnerable to freezing. This combination of cold and wind creates the potential for freezing pipes in buildings that don’t typically experience such a problem, according to a press release.
Freezing pipes often burst, creating a potentially disastrous situation for homeowners. The following tips are provided by the National Weather Service to avoid this problem
To prevent pipes from freezing on an exterior wall:
– Let hot and cold water trickle or drip out of a faucet at night.
– Open closet doors to allow more heat to reach uninsulated pipes under a sink or near an outside wall.
– Make sure the heat stays on and is not set below 55 degrees.
– When you’re away: Have someone check your house daily to make sure the heating is still on to prevent freezing, or drain and shut off the water system (except indoor sprinkler systems).
When pipes freeze:
– Make sure you and your family know where the water shut off valve is in case pipes burst. Most often it is located near the wall where the water supply enters the house. Sometimes it can be in a utility room.
– Never attempt to defrost a pipe with an open flame or torch. Using a flame can cause the building to catch fire. Use a hair dryer instead.
– Always be aware of the risk of electric shock in and around standing water
To receive email alerts on Department of Civil Service/Public Safety press releases, please submit a request to [email protected]or text “Wilmington1” to 91896 to receive SMS notifications.
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