By Beth Mechum
Staff Writer
As the Carrboro-Chapel Hill area buckles in for one of the coldest stretches in recent memory, homeowners and renters have worries beyond their own frozen extremities. Frozen pipes would sure make those necessary hot showers harder to take and those mugs of hot chocolate harder to make.
Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) offers suggestions on how to make winter water issues easier to handle.
The first objective is to keep pipes from freezing in the first place. Keeping water moving through cold-water faucets by letting them drip slowly could keep the pipes from bursting. Insulating pipes in unheated areas, such as in an attic or crawl space, also is prudent. Another way to keep those pipes in unheated areas safe is by wrapping them in electrical heating tape.
Terry Sparrow of Sparrow & Sons Plumbing in Carrboro said he’s had a flood of calls due to the cold weather. He estimated most problems occur during a long, severe cold event of below 25 degrees for at least four hours.
His advice is to complete the simple tasks that can keep your pipes working.
“I want this to go out to every person out there,†Sparrow said. “Take the hoses off your outside hose connections.… Hoses left on outside hose bibs just make an antenna for the water to freeze.â€
Another simple thing to do is to make sure vents are closed so as to not let in cold air that can freeze the pipes. Sparrow said once the pipes are frozen, though, there isn’t much he can do but repair them if they burst.
Sparrow also urged owners of older houses with exterior pipes to check very carefully for leaks.
Tim Peck, another local plumber, said frozen pipes are not the type of business plumbers look forward to.
“It’s a difficult business from a plumber’s point of view because people are irritated,†he said.
Peck said there has been a decrease in frozen-pipe issues over the years because of the popularity of cheaper plastic pipes that won’t burst when frozen.
OWASA offers a full list of tips and advice on its website at owasa.org/home/index.aspx