Expert Damage Restoration Services in Montgomery, TX

Good evening, neighbors! With the cold weather setting in, I wanted to offer a few tips about protecting your home you may not have thought about.nnKnow where your water shut-off valve is located. Some homes have a valve where the water comes into the house while others can only be turned off at the meter. At the first sign of a problem, you will want to turn the water off as quickly as possible to minimize the damages. Once the pipe has been repaired, be careful turning the water back on. You could have more pipes that have burst in the meantime. Turn the water back on very slowly and have multiple people watching and listening for other possible issues inside the house.nnWhen insulating or covering your outside pipes with anything other than pipe insulation such as towels, place plastic (Kroger bag,etc.) over the towels. When the towels get wet, they will become a block of ice which will offer some measure of insulation but also act to keep the pipes colder than desirable.nnYour inside faucets should be dripping as we get close to freezing temperatures. It is important to have the hot and cold water dripping since hot water will freeze faster than cold water. As the temperatures continue to drop into the twenties and below, you should increase the flow on the faucets to a small stream. Dripping may not be enough to allow adequate water movement to prevent the pipes from freezing.nAlways open the cabinet doors under the faucets to allow heat from your home to get into the area where the pipes are located. nnIn addition, any toilet on an outside wall of your home should be flushed periodically to allow water to move in the branch arm servicing the toilet. If you have a screwdriver, you can simply take the lid off of the tank and turn the screw on the filler assembly inside to raise the water level in the tank above the overflow tube level. This will allow the assembly to stay slightly “open” so water will run into the bowl. In doing so, you won’t have to remember to keep flushing the toilet. You will just have to remember to lower the water level once the temperatures rise back up.nnThe backflow preventer on your sprinkler system should be drained, as well. To do this, turn off both of the valves first. On one side just below the dome cap, you will see two flathead screws. slowly turn each screw until the water comes out. After you have done this, insulate the entire assembly and the pipes.nnI hope this has been helpful. Stay safe and warm. God bless and Merry Christmas!