Frozen Pipes – Page 2 – Pine Cove Water District

Archive for Frozen Pipes

Winter is coming how can you prepare

Posted by admin on November 1, 2017

It is important to make sure your home is ready for the coming winter months. Winter heating costs can double if your windows are poorly insulated, your plumbing breaks, or if the heating system is out-of-date. Making proper precautions to ensure your home is prepared for winter can save you time, money and a lot of unnecessary hassle.

To prevent damage, it is just as important to winterize your vacant home. Learn how to properly shut off your water valve (in case a pipe bursts) and turn your water off every time you leave your mountain home.
Unplug appliances such as microwaves and toasters to prevent faulty switches.
Insulate pipes with insulation or newspapers and plastic and allow faucets to drip a little during cold weather to avoid freezing. Running water, even at a trickle, helps prevent pipes from freezing.
Clean your gutters; make sure water can flow freely through your gutters to avoid icicles and ice dams.
Change your ceiling fans clockwise to force hot air at the ceiling towards the floor.
Replacing the filters in your forced heating unit improves the efficiency of your unit.
Window insulation film can help keep heat from escaping out your windows.Winterize your home to extend the life of your fuel supply by insulating walls and attics, caulking and weather-stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic.
The simple act of installing a storm door can increase energy efficiency by 45%, by sealing drafts and reducing air flow
Placing a rolled towel at the bottom of your exterior door or a draft guard prevents heat from leaking out.
Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected every year. Your chimney doesn’t necessarily need to be swept every single year, but it does need an annual inspection. Wood stoves, however, should be swept more often — as soon as they’ve accumulated a quarter of an inch of creosote.
Trim tree branches near your windows, roof, or parking areas before the weight of winter ice and snow can cause them to snap.
Inspect your home for any openings where animals could use to get inside. Make sure your fireplace flue or damper is closed, as bats, birds and squirrels are known to get inside this way.
Winterize your house, barn, shed or any other structure that may provide shelter for your family, neighbors, livestock or equipment. Clear rain gutters; repair roof leaks and cut away tree branches that could fall on a house or other structure during a storm.
Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires pose an additional risk, as more people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary safety precautions.
It is wise to communicate with a trusted friend or neighbor that your will be gone for a prolonged period of time and they have your contact information. Taking these steps can help protect your home from theft, water damage, and heating or electrical system issues while you are away for an extended period of time.

Bundle the house up for winter

Posted in: Customer Infomation, Frozen Pipes, Weather, winterizing

Billing

Posted by admin on February 4, 2015

The billing was mailed on Monday, and you should receive your bill by Friday. We had a few good size leaks, and we want to remind you that the most important thing you can do is to turn your water off, at your customer valve, when you leave for any extended period of time. You are responsible for any water that goes through your meter, and Pine Cove Water District has never forgiven a water bill. We also recommend that you use the shut off valve, located in your customer box, next to the meter, instead of or in addition to any shut off you might have closer to your house. If your water is shut off at the house, and not by the meter, and a pipe breaks, it could be weeks before you ever see that water.

If you have a small leak, lets say 1 gallon per minute, for 30 days, that would be 43,200 gallons of water. That size of a leak would cost you just under $400.00……..if that leak goes undetected for 2 months, that same bill would be $1000.00. If you have a leak that’s 3 gallons per minute, the water going through the meter would be almost 130,000 gallons in one month……a bill that size will cost you about $1600.00……….and for 2 months, that same 3 gallon per minute leak would cost you over $7000.00……that is a lot of money to pay, and a lot of wasted water.

If you have not shut off your water, please call us and we will go out and shut the water off for you. The fee to do that is $15.00, but that is a lot better than having to pay for a leak, because you didn’t shut your water off.

Posted in: Billing, Conservation, Customer Infomation, Customer Valve, Frozen Pipes, Leaks

Weather Coming

Posted by admin on February 24, 2014

Some wet weather is finally coming our way. By the looks of the weather forecast, we should get some rain or snow by the end of this week. It doesn’t look like much so far, but when it comes to predicting the weather, one never really knows for sure. Let’s all hope we get more moisture than is predicted as we need it desperately. This winter has been practically non-existent so far and while these mild and sunny days are certainly enjoyable, they are doing nothing for our water situation.

Conserving water whenever possible is also an important part of our water situation. Luckily, Pine Covers are very aware, concerned and educated about our water supply and as a result, they are very good about conserving water as much as possible. If you aren’t sure how you can reduce your water usage, we have many water conservation tips here on the blog and on our website at pcwd.org that are useful for conserving water both inside the house as well as outside.

And don’t forget to turn your water off at your customer valve anytime you leave you mountain home. This is the best way to prevent damage from a leak when you are not at your mountain home. We also have water conservation kits here at the office. Stop in and pick one up for your home!

Tags: conservation, storm

Posted in: Community, Conservation, Customer Infomation, From the Office, Frozen Pipes, Water Conservation, Weather