Staff Reports
With forecasted temperatures getting into the single digits over the weekend, the Columbus City Utilities is recommending customers take precautions to prevent their home water lines from freezing.
Here are some helpful tips:
If there is snow covering your meter pit, leave it there. Snow cover acts as an insulating barrier and can help prevent the meter inside from freezing.
Don’t open your pit or tamper with the valve inside. It’s against local code for anyone but utility personnel to work in the meter pits and vaults. Without the proper tools the valves can be fragile and this damage can be charged back to the customer. Also, as these areas are underground chambers, the pits can sometimes collect dangerous gases from other sources.
Open vanity and cabinet doors to expose pipes to the inside, warmer temperatures.
Let a small (pencil-lead thin) stream of water run. Moving water is much less likely to freeze than water standing in a pipe. Make sure all crawl space openings are closed and if possible insulate the opening.
Use wrap insulation on pipes in unheated areas.
If your pipes do freeze, call the Columbus Utilities first. If the problem is in our meter pit, we will thaw it out and get you back in service. If the problem is beyond the meter in your plumbing, we will be able to identify it and you will then need to contact a plumber.
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For more tips about water lines, visit columbusutilities.org.
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