Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) wants people to go with the flow of the weather and winterize their water pipes and faucets.
• The most important thing to do is to shut off and drain your irrigation system. Disconnect and drain all outdoor hoses as well. A short video to guide you through the process can be found at: www.tmwa.com/howto.
• Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas. If you have water pipes in an unheated garage or crawl space under the house, wrap them. Hardware and home improvement stores offer appropriate pipe-wrapping tape.
• Close the foundation or exterior vents around your house during the cold months to help keep cold air out of crawl spaces.
• Seal off access doors, air vents and cracks. Cold-winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes. However, avoid plugging air vents that your furnace or water heater needs for safe ventilation. Keep garage doors closed if there are exposed water lines inside.
• During periods of hard freezes, or when you’re away from your home for an extended period of time, set your thermostat at a temperature that will keep your pipes from freezing—no lower than 55ºF.Â
• Know the location of your master water shutoff valve. In many homes it's where the water line comes into your house from the street. If a pipe bursts anywhere in the house—kitchen, bath, basement or crawl space—this valve turns off all water and will save your home from flood damage. So, find it now and paint it a bright color or hang a tag on it. Be sure everyone in the family knows where it is. Watch how to shut off your master shutoff valve at: www.tmwa.com/howto.
For more tips on winterizing your home, visit: tmwa.com/winterize.Â
(TMWA contributed to this report.)
