HOUSTON – His name is Tom Fleming and he’s sort of the MacGyver of cold weather preparation.
“Big Tom,” as many affectionately call him, is helpful to those of us who, so far, have not shored up water pipe insulation.
Frozen pipes are a nightmare. Avoid them at all costs.
Tom says if you “absolutely want to make sure” your pipes don’t burst (say if you live in a shotgun-style older home with exposed piping underneath your home, for example) then do this:
1. Turn off the water supply line to your home at the curb (quarter turn with wrench/pliers).
2. Drain the water from the lines by opening several faucets on every level inside your home and then open the spigots outside your home.
3. After it warms up again, turn on a bunch of faucets and spigots AND THEN turn on the water supply line at the curb. Do the procedure in this order to avoid a “water hammer” or pressure surge on the system, which can also burst pipes.
Now, if you can’t find one of those fancy big box store spigot covers, and remember, there should me no exposed piping, fittings, spigot, at all... you can go a couple of routes:
1. Tom suggests that you buy a bunch of bags of mulch, which are malleable, stack them and fit them up the length of the pipe to cover the spigot. If you do it right, it will keep your pipes pretty cozy.
2. Another option for the spigot cover outside is to wrap it in a towel, tape the heck out of it, then put a plastic bag over the spigot and the towel, and tape that all together. “You need the plastic bag over the towel, so it doesn’t get wet and freeze,” Tom says.
Good luck! Stay warm! Stay safe!
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