INDIANAPOLIS If you haven’t already, it’s time to start preparing for the bitter cold temperatures coming this weekend. Working for you, we asked experts how you can get your home ready for the extreme cold.
If you have sinks and faucets on an exterior wall, experts say it's important that you leave a small trickle of water running and leave the cabinet doors open that way, heat can get to the pipes.
WRTV spoke with Mark Matthews, a plumbing advisor at "Benjamin Franklin Plumbing." He said there are several other things you can do to prepare for these cold temperatures, including making sure that your garage door stays down and is closed at all times. He also says if you have a crawlspace, you must close those vents and make sure that your heater is working and at least set between 55 degrees and 60 degrees. He said if your pipes do freeze, you can use a space heater to thaw them out, but be careful.
“Just be careful where you're putting the heater if you're around a wall installation things like that but if you're not sure the best thing to do if you can turn your main water valve off just to be safe because the problem is if somebody doesn't get out there quick enough those pipes thaw, and that's when they can bust so if you know where your main shut off valve is in the house that's a good thing or if you're not sure definitely call us as soon as possible so we can get out there for one,” said Matthews.
And if you are going to bring out the space heater — please be careful to make sure it’s away from objects and that you don’t leave it unattended.
WRTV also spoke with Chad Langdo. He’s with one-hour heating and air about making sure your furnace is working properly, and he said you should walk around your house and make sure no registers or grills are blocked; that way, the warm air can flow smoothly throughout the house.
If you lose heat not only will you be freezing but there is potential for more problems, like your pipes possibly freezing.
If something does go wrong, both Matthews and Langdon say they are ready to help.
“We do operate 20 4/7, and we have people ready to run call pretty much any time,” said Langdon. “You can give us a call, and we can schedule an appointment for a service tech to come out, take a look at it and see what needs to be done to get it back up and running again."
