As we come out of what has been a week-long freeze in the Portland and Vancouver Metro area, thousands of homeowners have suffered the unpleasant experience of frozen water pipes. Even more households will be effected as things thaw.
If you haven’t done so already, take this opportunity to winterize the pipes in your home.
If your pipes froze, keep in mind that the greatest urgency at that time was to prevent water damage from burst pipes and/or to restore the water supply to the house. Now it’s important to re-group and focus on prevention.
“Winterizing your home is easy to do, requires very little time and costs a lot less than fixing broken pipes or restoring a water-damaged house,” said Michele Ferree, co-owner of the local Mr. Rooter® Plumbing franchise. Ferree offers the following tips:
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Keep faucets running. A small trickle of water or a constant drip will help prevent pipes from freezing.
• Open cabinet doors. This allows heat to circulate under the sink to keep interior pipes warm.
• Insulate pipes. Cover faucets and exposed pipes with insulation or wrap thick towels around them. Pipes located in crawl spaces and attics are most susceptible to freezing.
• Secure all crawl space openings to protect pipes from cold wind.
• Locate the water shut-off valve so you can find it quickly in case pipes freeze and burst.
• Drain outside water lines. Remove garden hoses and open outside hose taps to allow water to drain.
If homeowners are faced with broken pipes this winter, they should immediately call a licensed plumber. Mr. Rooter is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (503) 284-2237 or
(360) 604-5540.
Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Portland/Vancouver is a full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company providing residential and commercial services to the Oregon counties of Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington, and to Clark and Cowlitz counties in Washington.