Pippin Brothers

As pipes thaw, make sure you know how to turn your water off to your house. If you have a busted pipe, it could be a couple days before a plumber can make it to your house. Make sure you know approximately where your pipes were frozen. Pipes might have busted and leaks will begin to appear, so be very aware of those areas. You can also hear them as well. Leave faucets open as pipes begin to thaw. That will relieve the pressure on the pipes. BUT ONLY if you are going to be h...ome. Do not leave them on if you are going to leave the house. You could flood your home if drains are stopped up. Make sure to remember your outside faucets in the spring. Those won’t be used for a few more weeks. Make sure to watch for leaks the first time you use them. Picture below is a busted pipe from an outside faucet that was in a wall leaking.

Just a reminder... with the wind blowing, pipes will freeze under houses even quicker. Make sure you have openings sealed off so the wind doesn’t cut under the house.

The next 7 days we all will experience temperatures and wind chills that our homes' heating and plumbing systems will get a little stressed out. Oklahoma hasn’t had temperatures like this in several years. Single digits and negative feel like temperatures are going to brutal Newer homes will struggle to maintain temperature and older homes may NOT maintain temperature and the temperature WILL drop while the heating system is working at full capacity. For your heating system...... 1. Please raise the temperature in your home, 1 to 3 degrees above your normal setting. (Temps above 70 in your home maynot be possible) 2. Take all programmable thermostats out of setback mode and set on a permanent HOLD. 3. If you have a furnace; replace the filter. 4. Keep garage doors closed. 5. Limit opening exterior doors. 6. Make sure air vents are not blocked or obstructed. For your plumbing system... 1. For older homes and homes with crawls spaces, keep cabinets open that have plumbing fixtures, so the heat can get to those places to keep the pipes from freezing. 2. For older homes and houses with crawl spaces, be sure to leave faucets dripping to keep the water moving through the pipes. This will help the pipes not to freeze. 3. Cover outside faucets to help insulate them and protect them from freezing. 4. Keep crawl space accesses covered so the wind will stay out. The wind can make pipes freeze even faster. 5. Make sure you are doing the above for heating to make sure everything is staying warm. If the temperature in your home is dropping and you have HOT air coming out of your vents with furnaces DO NOT PANIC. Please make sure that your heating system continues to operate. To help minimize temperature loss you can boil water, make soup, or stews; they help introduce humidity and warmer temperatures into your home. DO NOT USE YOUR OVEN or a GRILL TO HEAT YOUR HOME. Please check on neighbors and elderly residents during these extreme temperatures. Make sure to bring pets inside to protect them from the brutal wind chills. Stay warm and safe this week and share this with any of your family and friends.

Learn why your air vents don’t seem to be providing your home with the hot or cold air you need to stay comfortable.

Wondering if it is time for furnace replacement? Call the trusted heating experts at Pippin Brother today!