Protecting your pipes from freezing amid bitter blast of cold weather in Pittsburgh area
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- This type of weather can cost you thousands of dollars in repairs if a pipe breaks and with the current temperatures where they are, you might want to take some preventative action.
KDKA's John Shumway has some tips to help around the house.
It's cold enough for a problem to develop, so let's go through what you can do right now.
It might be hard to believe, but one of the most common mistakes that plumbers see is that people accidentally leave the garage door open, which in most cases, will lead to the pipes freezing.
The owner of Terry's Plumbing says that the next cause can be from hose bibs that haven't been turned off and that they should be turned off at the valve inside the house.
"They're capable of freezing at that point and then creating a bigger issue because nobody knows where they hear the sound, but they don't know where the sound is coming from," Terry said.
That sound is important and it's the first sign of an issue.
There are some pipes that are more vulnerable than others.
"Outside walls are more inclined to freezing for your bathroom, or in a powder room that is against an outside wall," Terry said.
To help remedy this, open up the cabinet outside of the sink, open the door to the room, and trickle the water.
"No more than that, Terry said. "That's all. That's all and it will save you hundreds if no thousands of dollars in repairs."
You should trickle both the hot and the cold water. Hot water pipes are more vulnerable because the water sits still longer, as we don't use hot water as much as cold.
If your basement isn't heated, open the door so that the upstairs heat might filter down and consider using an alternate heat source like a space heater, but be careful where you place it.