How to prevent your pipes from freezing

When extremely cold weather sets in, like we experiencing right now, there is always a risk that household water pipes will freeze up. Here are some preventive steps to take to decrease the risk of frozen pipes: If water lines run into the garage, keep the garage door closed. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children. When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe, even at a trickle, helps prevents pipes from freezing. Keep the heating thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst. If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set the thermostat to a temperature no lower than 55 degrees.