Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Gearing up for the cold: It’s never too early to prepare, especially this year when many Southwest Louisiana homes may be exposed and are under construction.
“Because of all the houses that are being rebuilt from the storm, there’s lots of houses that aren’t even close to being where they have central heat on,” Lanier Plumbing Superintendent Matt Evers said.
Evers tell 7 News there are some things you can do to potentially prevent your pipes from freezing: letting your faucet drip and opening your cabinet doors under the sink.
“Keep in mind, a lot of times there’s piping to the right or left, so if you can open the adjacent cabinets and, you know, keep the house maybe slightly warmer than comfortable just to help get some of the heat in the walls and up in the attic,” Evers said.
In addition, Evers said to make sure your outdoor hose is detached from the faucet and then to also cover that faucet with a faucet cover or “freeze cap.”
“A lot of times you can buy one of these things - a hose bib-cover,” Evers said. “It usually has a little eyelid in there that you can put over the faucet to keep it warm or at least not let it get as cold and stops it from freezing.”
Evers adds that if you have an outdoor irrigation system that’s not insulated, it can easily be covered with a tarp or a blanket, as they can be very expensive to replace.
He also wants to remind everyone that if your pipes do freeze, there’s not much a plumber can do until it thaws out. So, it’s best to prevent it if possible.
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