Colder temperatures are just around the corner and it’s time to start prepping your house for the winter season. Take the time now to get your home ready for the winter season by following these tips from the Grand Junction Utilities Department:
- Close garage doors. Many frozen waterlines can be avoided by keeping the garage door closed.
- Open the cabinet doors below sinks to let heated air from the room into that space, especially if water pipes are in outside walls. Pipes exposed to external walls have an increased chance of freezing.
- One of the most effective ways to prevent waterlines from freezing is to allow a reduced stream of water (just before a drippy faucet becomes a solid stream) to flow through faucets, particularly faucets on exterior walls. This is for the customer’s plumbing protection.
- Make sure that all heated areas, zones and plumbing are working properly.
- Install heat tape and insulation around exposed plumbing. For safety reasons, it is important to make sure your heat tape is always working properly.
- Properly identify and mark your main shut-off valve. The main shut-off valve isolates the water from coming into your house (in the situation of an internal waterline break). Knowing where this valve is located could save your home from costly damage due to a broken waterline.
Customers should not forcefully heat their waterlines. Using a torch can cause additional stress on the waterline causing it to burst. It is best to allow the lines to thaw naturally or by applying moderate heat, for example, heat tape or space heaters.
The Utilities Department encourages customers to contact the Water Services office at (970) 244-1579 (or 242-6707 for after hours emergencies) if they are experiencing a water outage. At that time a technician can be dispatched, at no charge to the customer, to investigate whether or not the water meter or service line is frozen. If it is, then the technician can take actions to attempt to restore service. The City requests that the meter pits not be accessed by customers or plumbers as that can allow additional cold air into the pit which could then cause the meter to freeze.
Contact: Greg LeBlanc, Senior Assistant to the City Manager| 970-244 1557 or gregoryl@gjcity.org