New Jersey American Water Offers Cold Weather Water Tips
December 14 2016 - 9:35AM
Business Wire
For Inside and Outside Your Home
As winter quickly approaches and temperatures continue to fall,
New Jersey American Water wants to remind homeowners to protect
their pipes from frigid winter weather to prevent costly plumbing
repairs.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005759/en/
New Jersey American Water offers tips to
help protect home pipes and meters in frigid weather conditions.
(Graphic: Business Wire)
“The best strategy in combating the cold winter months is a
proactive one,” said Kevin Kirwan, vice president of Operations for
New Jersey American Water. “Taking certain preventive measures to
winterize homes and learning how to properly maintain and conserve
resources, particularly during the cold weather months, can help
prevent pipes and meters from freezing in your home and causing
larger problems in the long term.”
New Jersey American Water encourages its customers to take the
following precautions to reduce the risk of freezing pipes that can
burst.
Preparing for cold weather
- Make sure everyone in your home knows
where the main water shut-off valve is located so you can turn off
the water in an emergency. When you locate the valve, mark it with
an identification tag. The valve is typically located where the
water line enters the home. This could be in the basement,
crawlspace, or utility closet.
- Check for pipes that pass through
unheated spaces or rooms, such as crawlspaces, basements, garages,
or uninsulated exterior walls. Protect exposed pipes by wrapping
them with heat tape, pre-molded foam rubber sleeves or fiberglass
insulation, available at hardware stores. If you have installed
heat tape on exposed pipes, inspect the tape for cracks or fraying
and make any needed repairs.
- If your water meter is outside, make
sure your meter lid is closed tightly.
- Eliminate sources of cold air near
pipes by sealing openings or cracks that could cause drafts. Close
air vents in crawlspaces.
- Drain all outdoor garden hoses, roll
them up and store them inside to prevent cracking. If you have an
indoor valve for the outside faucet(s), shut it off and drain water
from pipes leading to the faucet(s).
- Turn off and drain your irrigation
system.
When temperatures consistently fall below freezing
- For kitchen or other sinks up against
cold, exterior walls, open cabinets to let warm air in your home
reach the pipes.
- Allow a small trickle of water to run
overnight to keep pipes from freezing. The cost of the extra water
is typically lower than the cost of repairing a broken pipe.
- If your pipes do freeze, shut off the
water immediately. Don’t attempt to thaw frozen pipes unless the
water is shut off.
- Freezing can often cause unseen cracks
in pipes or joints that will leak when thawed.
- Apply heat to a frozen pipe by warming
the air around it. Avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open
flames.
- Once the pipes have thawed, slowly turn
the water back on and check for cracks and leaks.
If you are going away
- If you are going to be away, leave your
thermostat at 55 degrees to prevent freezing pipes. If your water
meter is located in your home and freezes, the homeowner/business
is responsible for the cost to replace or repair the meter.
- Have a friend, relative or neighbor
regularly check your property to ensure that the heat is working
and the pipes have not frozen.
- A freeze alarm can also be purchased
for less than $100 and will call a user-selected phone number if
the inside temperature drops below 45 degrees.
- If no one will be home for an extended
period of time during extreme winter weather, consider contacting
New Jersey American Water at 800-272-1325 to turn your water off
and hire a plumber to drain your system. That way, if your furnace
stops working, there will be no water in your pipes to freeze.
Report Leaking Pipes
New Jersey American Water also advises that sub-freezing
temperatures can hasten aging water mains to break and cause unsafe
driving conditions. If you see a leak, or your water service is
disrupted, please contact the company’s Customer Service Center at
1-800-272-1325.
More information is available in the Learning Center on the
company’s website at www.newjerseyamwater.com, or on its Facebook
page at www.facebook.com/njamwater.
New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is
the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing
high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to
approximately 2.7 million people. American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the
largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water
and wastewater utility company. Marking its 130th anniversary this
year, the company employs 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide
regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other
related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and
Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting
www.amwater.com.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005759/en/
New Jersey American WaterMEDIA CONTACT:Denise Venuti
FreeDirector of Communications and External
Affairs856-782-2316denise.free@amwater.comwww.newjerseyamwater.com
American Water Works (NYSE:AWK)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
American Water Works (NYSE:AWK)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024