Cold weather: 4 safety tips you need to know for the winter
Winter storms can be dangerous. Here are four tips to keep you safe when cold weather hits.
USA TODAY
Rhode Island is getting the sort of mind-numbing cold that can spell disaster for old New England homes: frozen pipes.
Temperatures in the Ocean State are expected to be well below normal, according to the National Weather Service Boston. A cold weather advisory has been issued for all of Rhode Island from Friday, Jan. 23 at 10 p.m. through 10 a.m. on Saturday.
“Very cold wind chills as low as 20 below expected in much of southern New England,” the advisory said. “The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 20 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. Frostbite and hypothermia will occur if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures.”
With temperatures this cold, it’s also a hazard for your plumbing.
How to keep your pipes from freezing
Frozen pipes are a nightmare to deal with when the temperature drops, but it can be prevented. Frozen pipes can happen at any temperatures below freezing, depending largely on how insulated the pipes are, so it’s always best to be cautious.
Here are some tips from Providence Water on the best way to avoid it.
- Run a trickle of water: Standing water in the pipes, which will expand if it freezes potentially causing the pipes to crack, is the enemy. The best way to prevent that is to run a trickle of water during freezing periods. You should drip water through both your hot water and cold water pipes. The cost of running the water is far less than what it will cost to hire someone to repair the pipes. Angie’s List recommends running a trickle of water when temperatures are expected to be below 20 degrees for at least 3 hours.
- Open the cabinet under your sink: To help keep the pipes under your sink and in the walls warm, it helps to open the cabinets allowing more heat from the rest of the house to get in there than if the doors were closed.
- Know how to shut off your water: In the event a pipe does freeze or break, the first course of action should be shutting the water off. Then, you can try thawing it with a hair dryer or space heater. Go slow when turning the water back on, and be prepared to call a plumber.
While you can use a hair dryer or space heater to thaw your pipes, officials in Massachusetts explicitly warn against using a torch to warm them after a man in Spencer started a small fire last winter.
“Please if you have frozen pipes do NOT use torches,” the Spencer Fire Department stated on Facebook, using the incident as a teachable moment. “This is usually the results. … Use hair dryers or other methods.”
What are the signs of frozen pipes?
Pipes located in unheated areas, such as crawl spaces, attics, garages, or an exterior wall with minimum insulation are the most likely to freeze.
Some signs to look for if your pipes are frozen include:
- If you have minimal water flow
- A crack or bulge in your pipes. A dead give away is if water or ice is leaking out of the bulge or crack.
- Spying frost or ice on the exterior of your pipes
- If your pipes start making a whistling noise or you hear a clacking sound that could be ice moving through the pipe
- If you see signs of water damage on walls or ceilings near where your pipes are located
