Avoid Costly Repairs

If a homeowner’s meter freezes, the homeowner is responsible for the cost to replace or repair the meter. With a little attention and basic maintenance, you can help prevent pipes and meters from freezing in your home. The cost to replace a meter is based on the size of the meter.

For more information

•  Call our office from 8:30 to 4:30 M-F at 609-443-6000

Before cold weather sets in:

• Know what areas of your home, such as basements, crawl spaces, unheated rooms and outside walls, are most vulnerable to freezing.
•  Eliminate sources of cold air near lines by fixing windows, insulating walls, closing crawl spaces  and eliminating drafts.
• Protect exposed pipes by wrapping them with heat tape or insulation available at hardware  stores. If you have installed heat tape on exposed pipes, inspect the tape for cracks or  fraying and make any needed repairs.
• If your meter is outside, make sure your meter lid is closed tightly and let any snow that falls,  cover it. Snow acts as an insulation, so don’t disturb it.
• Make sure everyone in your home knows where the main water shut-off valve is and how to turn it off and on. If a pipe freezes or bursts, shut the water off immediately.
•  Disconnect garden hoses and, if you have an indoor valve for the outside faucet(s), shut it off and drain the water from pipes leading to the outside faucets.
•  To save wear and tear on your cooling system, drain any hoses and air conditioner pipes and check for excess water pooled in the equipment.
• Keep your water heater temperature around 120 degrees and install inexpensive low-flow shower heads to reduce hot water use. Lowering the temperature to 120 degrees could reduce water heating costs too.
•  Turn off and drain your irrigation systems. If no one will be home for an extended period of time during extreme winter weather, consider contacting us to turn your water off altogether and hiring a plumber to drain your system. That way, if your furnace stops working, there will be no water in your pipes to freeze. Please note: there would be a re-connection fee to turn the water back on to your property.

When temperatures consistently fall below freezing:

•  Allow a small trickle of water to run overnight to keep pipes from freezing. The cost of the extra water is typically low compared to the cost to repair a broken pipe.
•  Open cabinet doors to expose pipes to warmer room temperatures to help keep them from freezing.

If your pipes freeze:

• Shut off the water immediately. Don’t attempt to thaw frozen pipes unless the water is shut off. Freezing can often cause unseen cracks in pipes or joints that will leak when thawed.
• Apply heat to the frozen pipe by warming the air around it. Avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open flames.
• Once the pipes have thawed, turn the water back on slowly and check for cracks and leaks.