17 January 2024
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The City of Topeka took to social media to share tips to prevent frozen pipes with another round of wintery weather on its way.
Today looks to be the warmest day of the week thanks to the south wind returning sending temperatures up close to the freezing mark. Below freezing temperatures are expected to return for the end of the week and start of the weekend as another push of colder air arrives Thursday.
The City of Topeka shared the following tips to ease the freeze:
Know where your main shutoff valve is. If a pipe is broken, you’ll want to turn off the water.
gently thaw pipes using a hairdryer. Use a low heat setting because pipes can burst if heated too quickly.
Don’t use an open flame to thaw pipes.
Don’t attempt to thaw your water meter. If you believe your water meter is frozen, call 785-368-3111 for a representative to thaw the meter.
The city reminded residents that damage caused to a meter, associated parts or the meter box will be billed to the customer.
In 2021, Owner of Ace Plumbing in Topeka Dave Cobler gave 27 News some tips to keep your pipes from freezing.
“Check the door seals, window seals and your foundation,” Cobler said. “Folks that live in crawl space type homes, they’d want to make sure their crawl space windows are closed and probably insulated.”
Cobler said you can also open the cabinets underneath your sinks to let the heat reach your pipes more easily. He said this is especially helpful if your sink is on an exterior wall. Another popular trick is to leave the water running in your sink, but Cobler said it’s important to make sure it’s a continuous stream and not just a dripple.
“If you keep it dripping it’s going to keep that cold or hot water line from freezing up,” Cober said. “If it’s dripping too slowly it can possibly freeze the drain lines so that’s the down side of letting water drip.”
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