How to Prep Your Home for Freezing Weather

In the Pensacola area, we have a few nights each winter that get below freezing. This can be especially dangerous for your water pipes. It just takes a few hours of below freezing temperatures for your plumbing pipes to form ice inside and potentially burst. To avoid this, there are multiple steps to protect your plumbing and avoid costly repairs.

• Allow exterior water spigots to drip so that pressure cannot build. The constant drip keeps the pipes from freezing by replacing water from more insulated areas in the pipes. An alternative to dripping the water spigots is to use an insulated bib to cover the spigot.

• Turn off water and open spigots and outdoor showers on waterfront docks.

•  Winterize sprinkler systems by turning off the water supply, briefly run one sprinkler head to relieve the water pressure in the system and drain lawn pumps.

• Run your pool pump and filter continuously.

• Keep the heat on. Smart wifi thermostats are a great investment especially with second homes. Even if the home is vacant, it's a good idea to set the heat to where it will turn on occasionally. This will keep internal pipes at a reasonable temperature.