Cold is back: Tips to winterize your home

Winter temperatures have returned to Central Oregon. Here are some tips, courtesy of the city of Bend, to help prevent your home from the damage and inconvenience of frozen water pipes.

Inside your home

Wrap all pipes in unheated areas such as the crawl space, attic, garage or basement to help protect them from freezing. Wrap insulating tape or molded pipe sleeves over the length of exposed pipe. Cover valves, pipe-fittings, etc. with insulating tape or fiberglass insulation.
Shut off and drain your water system if you are leaving home for an extended period. Be sure to turn off the water heater before draining the system. Pour anti-freeze solutions approved for RV use into drain traps. Turn off the main water shut-off valve, then go through the house and turn on all faucets, sinks, tubs, showers, and flush the toilets. Set your thermostat to 55 degrees. Consider what might happen if your source of heat goes off due to a storm when you’re not home.

During freezing weather

When leaving the house for an extended time or if you live in an older home, open cabinet doors in the kitchen and bathrooms to get more heat to pipes. Water lines supplying the kitchen or bathrooms are often near outside walls.

If your pipes freeze

Thaw the lines safely. If you know where the lines are frozen, you can attempt to thaw them with a hair dryer set on low heat. Move the dryer back and forth along the frozen area. Do not leave the pipes unattended.
Don’t use an open flame to thaw frozen water lines. It may be fast, but could catch the house on fire.
When home plumbing is frozen, there is often water available at one faucet. But, if there is no water available, the problem may be between the house and the meter, or at the meter or in the street. For assistance, please call 541-317-3000 day or night.

If your pipes break

Shut off the water and turn off your water heater.
If you are unable to find the shut-off valve or have water leaking in the house from a broken pipe, the city can help you shut off the water. Call our 24-hour emergency number 541-317-3000 for assistance.
To repair the broken pipe, you may want to call a plumber.

Visit www.waterwisetips.org or call 541-317-3000 for additional City of Bend water information.