With the cold weather upon us, the City of Rockford Water Division would like to remind you that the cold can wreak havoc on unprepared water pipes. Icy winds and falling temperatures can do a lot of damage to your home by freezing pipes and leaving you without flowing water. Before you have an emergency there are many precautions you can take now to help minimize later impacts.
During freezing weather:
- Open cupboard doors under sinks (especially where plumbing is on exterior walls) to let interior heat warm the pipes.
- Temporarily keep a steady drip of cold water at an inside faucet farthest from the meter. This keeps water moving, making it less likely to freeze.
- Never thaw a frozen pipe with an open flame. Use hot air from a hair dryer, the exhaust from a vacuum cleaner, or a closely monitored heat lamp.
- If your pipes break, shut off the water at the shut-off valve and turn off the circuit breaker controlling the gas to the water heater.
- If there is no water at all in your home, the problem may be in the street. If the water service is frozen at the meter or the service to the water main, please contact call the City of Rockford Water Department at 779-348-7300.
View the Cold Weather Preparedness (PDF). Please call 779-348-7300 with any questions.