Prevent Freezing Pipes

During freezing temperatures water pipes can easily freeze and cause damage to residences.

This is a courtesy reminder to take precautions to prevent this from happening to you:

• Leave your under sink cabinet doors open, especially if the sinks are against outside walls. This keeps the pipes under the sink warm.
• Leave your kitchen and/or bathroom water faucet trickling; sometimes a drip isn’t enough.
• Try to keep the temperature in your home at a minimum of 60 degrees.
• Insulate open areas around your house that could allow freezing air into your pipes.
• Close outside vents.
• Disconnect hoses from bibs and cover bibs. You can do this easily with a towel and rope or rubber bands if you don’t have the styrofoam vent covers.
• Find a way to heat your garage.

If you experience freezing pipes, call the St. Helens Dispatch number at 503-397-1521. Do not tamper with the City’s water meter.

If your pipes are frozen you may be able to use a blow dryer (never a torch though) to blow hot air on the meter to warm it up. Please call Dispatch prior to attempting to thaw pipes or meters using this method.

For more tips about preventing freezing pipes, please see these tips from The Weather Channel.

Please share this useful information with the people in your community, and, most importantly, help your neighbors who are in need.