WATCH FOR FROZEN PIPES

With tem­per­a­tures in the sin­gle dig­its, the Bryan Water Depart­ment would like to encour­age res­i­dents to take the fol­low­ing pre­cau­tions to help pro­tect their water lines from freez­ing:

Pro­tect exposed pipes from cold air drafts by clos­ing and seal­ing win­dows and any exposed open­ings in base­ments or crawl­spaces.

Pro­vide proper insu­la­tion for walls and pipes where nec­es­sary.

If pipes can­not be shielded from the cold or the res­i­dence has a his­tory of freeze-ups, run a small stream in an inside faucet to keep the water mov­ing through the pipes when tem­per­a­tures reach the sin­gle dig­its. Make sure the drain is not plugged or blocked.

Keep your ther­mo­stat set above 55 degrees F, even if you will be away for sev­eral days.

Be sure you and other house­hold mem­bers know where your main shut-off valve is located in case an emer­gency occurs.

If your pipes freeze despite these pre­cau­tions, do not try to thaw them with a torch. If you encounter a burst pipe, be aware of stand­ing water and elec­tri­cal wires; an elec­tro­cu­tion haz­ard may be present. Call a licensed plumber or the Bryan Water Depart­ment, 419–633-6100 dur­ing reg­u­lar busi­ness hours and 419–633-6150 after hours, if you are not sure what to do.

The Bryan Water Depart­ment can­not work on pri­vate ser­vice lines or plumb­ing, but water per­son­nel can con­firm that the ser­vice line to your prop­erty is thawed.

For more win­ter weather tips, please go to Bryan Munic­i­pal Util­i­ties Web site:

http://www.cityofbryan.net/ConsumerTips.asp.

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