FALLING TEMPS AND THE COLD WIND RAISE CONCERN OVER FREEZING PIPES

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

By WMBF News Staff

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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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.