Preventing frozen pipes

By: Dan Messineo
dmessineo@klkntv.com  

Residents in and around Lincoln battled single digit temperatures this past week along with brutal wind chills.  During this time of year, a frozen pipe could burst, causing a huge mess and thousands of dollars of repair work.  State Farm Insurance reports each winter around a quarter of a million homeowners deal with frozen pipes.

The combination of frigid temperatures, bad insulation and a thermostat set too low can cause pipes in you house to freeze and then burst.  Experts suggest a few precautions for homeowners:

-Trickling cold water goes a long way to prevent pipe freezing
-Leave the thermostat at the same temp day and night
-Open cabinet doors where you have un-insulated pipes.  It allows warmer air to flow into the space.  

State Farm said if you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out you might have a frozen pipe.  They said leave the faucet turned on and call a plumber. 

Click the following link for more suggestions on how to prevent frozen pipes: http://www.weather.com/activities/homeandgarden/home/hometips/severeweather/pipefreeze_prevent.html