Professionals offer tips to keep your pipes from freezing

JACKSON, Tenn. — With temperatures barely making it above the freezing mark this week, it’s time to think about how to keep your pipes from freezing.

Jacob Hamilton is the general manager for Tim Ferguson Plumbing, Air and Electric, and has several tips.

“If you live in a crawl space, there are usually vents that go to under the house. If you’ll close those, it’ll trap the heat under the house,” Hamilton said.

Then there are things you can do to keep water running in the faucets in your kitchen and bathroom.

“It’s best to drip hot and cold water so it’s a little mixture of warm. That keeps the water moving. Moving water takes longer to freeze, and it’ll release pressure that’ll cause issues if it does freeze,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton also says you can open cabinet doors to let warm air in around your pipes.

Faucets outside your home are another point of access for cold air to get into your pipes.

“There’s inexpensive covers you can buy, Styrofoam, that you just kind of stick on the pipe. That’s another point that could get into the pipes, so that’s a good place to stop that,” Hamilton said.

Professionals say to know how to turn off your water in case a pipe does burst so you don’t cause more damage to your home.

“If you do have water gushing everywhere in your house and you don’t know how to shut your water off, you’re going to go to panic mode,” Hamilton said.

And if you have a garage, Hamilton says keep it closed to trap as much heat in as possible.

Madison County Emergency Management Agency Director Marty Clements also urges residents to make sure the vents around the outside of their home are closed.