How to Prevent Frozen or Burst Pipes This Winter

Before the cold arrives

• Find your private water shutoff valve and make sure everyone in the household can reach and operate it. This is your home's valve, not the utility meter.
• Protect exposed pipes in crawl spaces, garages, attics and exterior walls with pipe insulation or other products made for that purpose, installed as the product's maker directs.
• Disconnect outdoor hoses and store them. Drain outdoor lines only where the fittings and shutoffs are designed to allow it.
• Keep indoor heat consistent, including overnight and while you are away.

Signs a pipe may be frozen

Little or no water from a faucet in freezing weather, or frost on an exposed pipe, can mean a section has frozen. Frozen pipes can crack, and leaks often appear as the ice thaws. Call a plumber if you suspect a frozen pipe you cannot reach, cannot see, or that may already be damaged.

Never thaw pipes with an open flame, torch or boiling water.

Helpful sources

For more detail, see the American Red Cross guide to preventing and thawing frozen pipes and the Portland Water Bureau's winter preparation tips. Portland's page describes that city's own procedures; check with your local water supplier for guidance where you live.