News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville plumbers are advising residents to take care of their water lines as freezing temperatures make their way into the Upper Cumberland.
Shane Buck of Buck’s Plumbing says many people forget about their garden hoses as temperatures dip below freezing.
“What a lot of people forget to do is take off your garden hoses from the outside faucets,” Buck says. “A lot of times people forget about that, and when it unfreezes, you’ve got a faucet that’s burst on you.”
Buck also advises residents in older homes to allow hot and cold water faucets to drip when temperatures stay below freezing for long periods of time.
“A lot of people only do the cold side because they think the hot side is going to stay hot,” Buck says. “If the hot water stays in the line too long, it’s going to cool off and therefore freeze as well. That’s a common mistake a lot of people make.”
Joe Spiecker of Cookeville Plumbing and Electric says the dripping technique usually doesn’t apply to houses with newer lines.
“If you have a well-constructed home and decent insulation, you can probably get away with not running a whole lot of water because it’s wasting energy and water,” Spiecker says. “But if you have an older home or possibly a mobile home, if it’s extremely cold, you will have to run some water to keep it from freezing.”
Spiecker reminds residents to inspect outside vents and crawl spaces to prevent cooler air from freezing pipes under the house.
“Make sure the vents on the outside are closed, and make sure any openings like the crawlspace opening… need to be closed up,” Spiecker says. “Secure them and make sure there’s no holes going under the crawlspace area.”
Spiecker says those with gas furnaces and heat pumps should have them inspected if they have not been used this season.
“If you haven’t turned it on already you’re going to be turning them on pretty soon,” Spiecker says. “On gas furnaces and heat pumps too, it is recommended to go ahead and have them yearly serviced to make sure that they’re operating properly for the season.”
The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Warning for the Upper Cumberland beginning at 11 p.m. Friday night into midday Saturday.
Temperatures in the region are expected to dip as low as 24 degrees with forecasts calling for rain and even the possibility of snow Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
