Freezing temperatures may also cause concerns for homeowners, especially the risk of freezing and breaking pipes.
An official from Mihalko’s General Contracting says we have to prepare for the low temperatures coming our way and the impact it may have on our homes.
“Well, with the cold weather coming there are going to be frozen pipes,”
Mihalko says we should all be prepared for whatever this freeze may bring and the damage it can cause.
“When it gets really cold and really windy, that wind finds its way through cracks and crevasses and ends up freezing pipes,”
And although it is going to be very cold outside Mihalko says the wind can cause the most damage.
“When we get deep freezes like this with the combination of wind, it’s really the wind that really makes this go through every crevasse in the house that you don’t even know you have and it hits these pipes and it absolutely freezes them.”
“It’s the next day when it warms up. It’s when they thaw, and break and they flood the house”.
To prevent freezing pipes, insulate your pipes or let cold water drip which allows movement in your pipes especially in areas such as a bathroom, basement or attic.
“The way you know you have a pipe frozen is if you go to your bathroom vanity and you turn your water on and there’s no water,”
If you find yourself in this situation, Mihalko says to open the faucet before applying heat from either a hair dryer or heating pad.
And if you don’t see water running when the faucets on and you’ve already tried the previously mentioned steps it might be time to call a plumber.
“Listen, all the plumbers, all the H.V.A.C people and people like us with insurance restoration were all going to be busy because of this very very cold frigid temperatures. I guess it would be like the boy scouts, be prepared”.
Also if you are leaving the area for the weekend, don’t set your heat too low this will help prevent a pipe freezing.