FALLING TEMPS AND THE COLD WIND RAISE CONCERN OVER FREEZING AND BURSTING PIPES
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — As temperatures dropped into
the single digits, it felt like a frozen tundra in Youngstown on Tuesday night;
a harsh reality of winter in Northeast Ohio.
Frozen and bursting pipes are also big possibilities
when temperatures get really cold.
“You want to keep them as warm as possible, especially
during these temperatures,” said Xavier Ugarte, owner of Roto-Rooter Plumbing.
When water freezes, it expands by 10 percent or so in volume. This creates a huge pressure on the piping system and usually the weak points fail.
Ugarte said the number of frozen and bursting pipes
increase when the temperatures plunge past the freezing mark. However, he said
there are ways for residents to keep their homes safe this
winter, including leaving cabinet doors below sinks open and to wrap
exposed pipes with insulation.
“It’s a waste of water but it beats a pipe burst, you
don’t have to leave the faucet completely on,” said Ugarte. “You pull back and
it’s closed. At least this helps you insulate from the outside barrier of the
wall or the coldness.”
It’s not just homes having issues with pipes freezing
and breaking. In a house located on Rush Boulevard on Youngstown’s south
side, a worker with the water department said that they had at least five
minor water main breaks around the city Tuesday because of the cold temperatures.
Ugarte warned residents that if they’re not careful, it
could be catastrophic.
“They’ll break and then it’ll create a heck of a mess,
without a shadow of a doubt you’ll have a mess. You’ll have your own jacuzzi in
your house whether you want it or not,” Ugarte said.
He also said that if a break is not caught in time,
the house could flood and create mold, which could cost thousands to clean up.
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Pueblo County to hold
meeting over pipe breaks at judicial building
PUEBLO - Colorado
A special meeting was held in by the designers and builders
of the new Dennis Maes Pueblo Judicial Building to try and figure out why water
pipes used in the fire sprinkler system keep breaking.
The most recent break happened on New Years Eve in a
small interview room on the ground floor near an area where defendants make
their first appearances.
It was the second time sprinklers have burst during cold
weather in the building. The previous break happened in November in the
sprinkler lines between the 2nd and 3rd floors.
Pueblo County Facilities Director Sean Tapia believes
the problem is tied to sensors in the heating and cooling system that failed.
"One of these boxes went out and we don't at this
point know why it went out, but when that went out there was no heat in that
interview room," Tapia said.
Temperature readings were taken near the December 31st
break and measured 9 degreesFahrenheitt, identical to outdoor temperatures.
Tapia said one of the objectives of the meeting is finding where the cold air
was coming from.
"Why did it get so cold, why did the air
temperature nearly match the outside on the inside?" he said.
Tapia pointed out that the contractor immediately
brought in restoration crews who worked through the holiday to try and get the
building repaired. None of that expense was charged to the taxpayers.
Tapia has opened numerous building and said that
glitches should be expected.
"This is normal process except that this is a very
important function of government and we want to make sure this is taken care of
rapidly."
Tenth Judicial District Chief Judge Deborah Eyler said
defendants making First Appearances yesterday had to relocate to another
courtroom as the repair work wrapped up. Otherwise, the breaks have not cause
any large scale disruption of court services.
Still, she wants to see the problem resolved quickly as
well.
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Red Cross offers
tips to protect family and home from freezing temperatures
Posted:
Jan 06, 2015 6:18 PM EST Updated: Jan 06, 2015 6:18 PM EST
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – With record-breaking cold
temperatures possible this week, the American Red Cross reminds people to take
precautions against the cold.
“While the cold forecast for us will be short in
duration this time, it's a reminder that winter is not over yet,” said Louise
Welch Williams, regional chief executive officer for American Red Cross of
South Carolina. “It's good to reacquaint yourself with some cold weather tips
to get you through the season safely.”
Below are some tips from the Red Cross to protect
yourself, your home, and your family from the expected freezing temperatures:
Protect Yourself
from Freezing Temperatures
Avoid unnecessary exposure to the cold. Be aware of both
the temperature and the wind chill when planning outdoor activities. When you
prepare to go outside in severe cold weather, please remember the following:
Most of your body heat is lost through your head so wear
a hat, preferably one that covers your ears. Dressing in layers helps you retain
heat. You can remove layers as needed if you become too warm. Mittens provide
more warmth to your hands than gloves. Wear waterproof, insulated boots to help
avoid hypothermia or frostbite by keeping your feet warm and dry and to
maintain your footing in ice and snow. Get out of wet clothes immediately and
warm the core body temperature with a blanket or warm fluids like hot cider or
soup. Avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol if you expect you or someone you are
trying to help has hypothermia or frostbite. Recognize the symptoms of
hypothermia that can be a serious medical condition: confusion, dizziness,
exhaustion, and severe shivering. Seek medical attention immediately if you
have these symptoms. Recognize frostbite warning signs: gray, white or yellow
skin discoloration, numbness, waxy feeling skin. Seek medical attention
immediately if you have these symptoms. Create a disaster supplies kit — Get
together lifesaving items in both your home and vehicle. Visit www.redcross.org/prepare
for more information on disaster preparedness.
Heat Your Home
Safely
As families turn to alternative heating sources to
supplement their home heating systems, they should take the following
precautions:
Use caution with portable space heaters - Heating
equipment is the leading cause of home fires during the winter months,
according to the National Fire Prevention Association. About two-thirds of home
heating fire deaths are caused by portable or fixed space heaters. To prevent
fire, place space heaters at least three feet away from anything combustible,
including wallpaper, bedding, clothing, pets, and people. Never leave space
heaters operating when you are not in the room or when you go to bed. Don't
leave children or pets unattended near space heaters. Drying towels, or wet
mittens or other clothing over space heaters is a fire hazard. Don't overload
your electrical outlets when plugging in space heaters. Be careful of extension
cords that present hazardous walkways. Make sure smoke alarms and carbon
monoxide alarms are working properly and replace batteries as necessary. Have
your chimney connections and flues inspected by a professional and cleaned if
necessary prior to the start of every heating season. Use a sturdy fireplace
screen when burning fires. More information about preventing home fires is
available by clicking here.
Prevent Frozen
Pipes
Many homeowners may not be ready for frigid weather
either. Now is the time to protect your house pipes from freezing and bursting.
With the cold weather upon us, preventive action may make all the difference.
When the temperature is very low outside, let the cold
water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes or pipes in exterior walls.
Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from
freezing because the temperature of the water running through it is above
freezing. Running water, even at a trickle, helps prevent pipes from freezing.
Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage or in
walls adjacent to the garage. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow
warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful
cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children. Keep the
thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By
temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a
higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes
freeze and burst. If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat
on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55ºF. More information on
preventing and thawing frozen pipes is available here.
Bring pets/companion animals inside during winter
weather. Move other animals or livestock to sheltered areas and make sure that
their access to food and water is not blocked by snow drifts, ice or other
obstacles.
Visit www.redcross.org/prepare for
more information on preparing for cold weather
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What do you do if it is really cold?
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DON’T WAIT FOR A
BURST PIPE TO PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR WINTER
By Megan Turchi
Boston.com Staff | 12.22.14 | 3:26 PM
Welcome to the season of frozen pipes, when a cold day
could cost you thousands of dollars in water damage and plumber’s fees.
When freezing temperatures hit, the water flowing to
your shower or sink can actually freeze inside the pipe. Once the water
freezes, it expands, breaking the pipe walls. Then, when the temperature warms
even a little, the water melts and comes leaking (or bursting) into your house
or apartment.
Boston.com spoke with the owner of Boston Standard
Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling, Joseph Wood, about how a little prep work can
keep your place warm and dry.
What can you do to prevent this starting now?
Wood said once the temperature gets to 30 degrees or
below, that’s when you should start to take precautions.
A lot of people think they can turn off their heat when
they are not going to be home for the weekend, or even for a workday, but Wood
warned against the idea.
“People should make sure the heat is on at 60 at the
lowest,” he said.
He said pipes can freeze in an 8-hour workday and that
even for people worried about a sky-high energy bill, it is not worth saving
the 20 or so dollars – keep the heat on.
One of the biggest causes of frozen pipes is that people
forget to empty their hoses after the fall months. Once winter comes, the water
in the hose freezes and expands into the pipes inside the house walls, damaging
them.
What do you do if it is really cold?
If it gets below 20, there are some other precautions
that should be taken.
Wood said that “recognizing cold areas of the home” is
an important task in prevention, as heat does not spread equally throughout the
house. Cabinets that hold important plumbing are often tucked away in cold
corners.
“If there is not a proper heat source in the room, open
up the cabinet up if it’s [up against] an outside wall,” he said. That will let
some heat from the house get into the cabinet, preventing pipes inside from
getting too cold.
Take special care if you have a sink up against an
outside wall. “Trickling the water to a size of a number two pencil, leaving
water on in the sink,” helps prevent freezing, according to Wood.
It may waste some water, but liquid is less likely to
freeze if it’s moving.
How do you know if your pipes have frozen?
If you don’t yet see a full-on water leak or burst,
there are a few other ways you could know if your pipes have frozen.
“You would detect spitting at the fixture, not a proper
stream,” Wood said. In some cases, no water would come out of the sink at all.
Pipes are frozen, what should you do?
“At that point turn the heat up as high as you can stand
and get in there with a hair dryer and heat where you think it’s frozen,” Wood
said. Keep the tap on and try to get that water flowing.
You should know where the main water shutoff is in the
house. It could stop a flood if things get really bad.
Call a plumber if you need to, but remember that if your
pipes are frozen, you probably aren’t the only one – it might take a while for
help to get there.
What’s Your Damage?
Wood said a basic pipe freeze would cost about $250 to
fix, but a bad one could cost about $1000.
“You can get a full on pipe burst and destroy ceilings
and hardwood floors and the floors will buckle,” Wood said. “We’ve had
instances in apartments where the water main is in basement and we had to call
the fire department.”
Nobody wants that. So take a few precautions to avoid a
winter disaster.