Decatur plumber warns of frozen pipes with extreme cold moving in

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Decatur is bracing for extremely cold temperatures Thursday night going into the weekend. Local plumbers say this kind of weather can cause serious problems inside your home. From frozen pipes to costly water damage, experts say a little preparation can save residents a big headache later on.

"It's mostly going to be frozen water lines. People will be calling, with concerns about, hey, we have no water at our faucet," said Kyle Janvrin, owner of Janvrin Plumbing.

One main concern during cold temperatures is frozen pipes. Janvrin recommends turning your faucet on to drip overnight.

"With water flow moving through water lines, it's tougher for it to freeze because you're introducing new liquid all the time," Janvrin said.

If your sink does not drain water well, be mindful of letting water trickle. Janvrin says cold wind can freeze the waterline quicker than just cold temperatures. Another way to prep is through insulating your water lines. Pipe insulation is a foam that wraps around the water line, Janvrin said you can purchase this at a hardware store.

"If a drain doesn't take water, it'll overflow the sink. And then you're flooding your house," Janvrin said.

Lastly, open the cabinets under the sink and make sure your outside water hose is turned completely off.

"We want to allow as much warm air to, to intrude into the bottom of these cabinets, cabinet bases, to let as much warm air in and hopefully we can prevent a freeze," Janvrin said.

If you are not getting water flow through your faucet, then your pipes may be frozen. If you have a frozen water line, shut your water off and wait for the blockage to thaw. For busted pipes, immediately shut the water off and call a plumber.

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