The weather for Long Island this week calls for abnormally below freezing temperatures. Temperatures for the week will be in the teens to about freezing point. Along with the wind, this can cause many problems with water pipes within the home. Frozen water pipes can cause thousands of dollars’ worth of damage and a nightmare of inconvenience. Here are some simple and inexpensive steps you can apply to prevent disaster:

  1. If you heat your home with fuel oil, then make sure your oil tank is full or call for a delivery as soon as possible.
  2. Have your oil burner or gas fired furnace serviced.
  3. Keep the thermostat set for a minimum of 60 degrees.
  4. Let water trickle from faucets. Water that is moving is less likely to freeze.
  5. Keep interior doors open to allow warm air to circulate.
  6. Know where your main water valve is to your home. Test it to make sure it works! If not, have it replaced. If it is old, then hire a licensed plumber to replace it.
  7. If you have a pipe freeze, use a hair dryer or heating pad to thaw. Do not use a torch.
  8. Have a licensed plumbers phone number handy to call in an emergency. Use a local plumbing company that is licensed and dependable.
  9. Wrap pipes with foam sleeves in crawl spaces, garages, and attics.
  10. Allow warm air from home to circulate in crawl spaces, garages, and attics.
  11. Use UL listed heat tape for exposed pipes in unheated crawl spaces, garages, and attics.
  12. Shut off valves to outside hose bibs and allow hose bibs to drain.
  13. Check for leaks and drafts of cold air coming into home and seal immediately.

If you need assistance with any of the above then please call us 631-423-2211. To learn more about Rain Rich then please visit our website at www.rainrich.com. We look forward to servicing you!