Pipe bursts cold! How to Protect Your Pipes During the Freeze in South Texas

As the weekend approaches, temperatures will continue to drop for the next few days.

Your KSAT weather authority expects two rounds of winter weather for the San Antonio area from Saturday through Monday. With these freezing temperatures, it’s important to winterize your home in advance.

RELATED: San Antonio area for two rounds of winter weather this weekend

These cold temperatures can be especially a threat to water pipes, both indoors and outdoors. As the ice begins to form, it can expand and potentially break your pipes, which can be expensive, according to the San Antonio Water System (SAWS).

But there are a few precautions you can take to avoid this. Here’s what you can do, according to SAWS:

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• Cold wind can speed up the freezing process. Seal openings where cold air can reach unprotected water pipes, such as taps.

• Foam or fiberglass insulation sleeves go a long way to keep exposed pipes safe.

• Leave cabinet doors open under the kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow warmer room air to circulate across the pipes.

• If there are rooms without heating ducts, leave the doors open to let in the surrounding heat. Especially if the room is on the north side of the house.

• Dribbling faucets slowly to get the water flowing through pipes isn’t ideal, but it can help.

Don’t worry about the underground pipes, because the temperatures won’t be cool enough to freeze them, according to SAWS.

If you find that your home is without water during the cold weather, there are a few things to consider when troubleshooting the problem. It could be due to a frozen pipe or some other problem.

Here’s what to look for to help determine what’s causing the water outage, according to SAWS:

• Check several faucets in the house. Are they all disabled or is it just one?

• Check with your neighbors to see if they have water.

• Is your home heated? Were you not at home during the frost?

• Did you let your faucets drip? Cover your outdoor faucets?

If the temperatures start to warm up later next week, check your plumbing in areas that may be frozen.

If a pipe is cracked or damaged, you probably need to have it repaired.

Click here for more information about winterizing your home or for more information about SAWS.

Stay informed

As always, your weather authority team will keep you informed. You can get the very latest weather forecast anytime by bookmarking our weather page and downloading the KSAT Weather Authority app – available for both Apple and Android devices.

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