WACO, Texas (KWTX) – Plumbers in Central Texas are reminding homeowners about the potential for pipe damage as the region enters the coldest stretch of a winter storm.
Temperatures Thursday evening are expected to plummet into the teens, meaning slush on roadways and water in pipes could easily freeze.
Mike Stass of Mike Stass Plumbing Heating and Cooling said if your water is still flowing, you’ll want to keep it that way by turning on the heat in your home and opening the cabinets under your sinks.
“If I [close the cabinet doors] I just put those pipes in a refrigerator instead of opening the doors and letting these 60 plus degrees I have in this room get back into those pipes that are on the outside wall,” Stass.
He also says now is a good time to follow the age-old advice of dripping your faucets – with an updated twist.
“I learned last year that it’s more than just a drip. You actually have to let it run some if you want to keep it from freezing,” Stass said.
For those whose pipes are already frozen, you may notice leaking by Saturday meaning your pipes have burst and the sunlight is thawing out the ice inside.
Killeen Fire Department Chief James Kubinski said people with frozen pipes should pay close attention in order to keep a personal disaster from affecting their entire city.
“If they do see a leak, turn it off as soon as possible because we want to reserve that water supply that we have in all of our storage tanks and if they don’t know how to do that, of course, call the water department, call for somebody to help you turn that off,” Kubinski said.
Stass echoed the fire chief’s advice and warned that if you don’t know how to turn off your water, you should avoid trying to do it yourself as you may cause more harm than good.
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