Preventing Frozen Pipes
Archive for Leaks
Extreme Winter Weather Precautions!
The weather station is predicting some inclement weather coming up soon. Here are some reminders of important steps you can take to protect yourself, your pet (if applicable) and your dwelling during very cold, icy and snowy conditions. These steps will help you be prepared for any extreme freeze in your area and help you stay safe and warm.
Pitch In:
When cold weather and extreme snow storms hit, it is important for everyone to pitch in and be a community. Things you can do to help include: If you are clearing snow from your car or around it, please place any snow onto grassy areas. Please don’t place snow onto sidewalks, roadways, fire hydrants or other areas that have already been cleared.
Heat:
Set your heater on at least 60-65 degrees and leave it on until any threat of a freeze is over. If there is an extreme risk of freezing, leave your faucets dripping a very small amount of water – both your hot water and cold water. Leave cabinet doors under any sink area open so warm air can circulate around pipes.
Space Heaters:
We recommend that you not utilize a space heater unless absolutely necessary. But, if you are utilizing one there are important steps you must take. Please read the manufacturer’s instructions and warning labels carefully.
Some key things to consider include:
Keep it at least three feet away from any other object – including papers, clothing and rugs – and maintain a three-foot radius around the space heaters. Place space heaters on level, flat surfaces. Never place heaters on cabinets, tables, furniture or carpet. Be sure to never leave a space heater unattended, and turn it off when you’re leaving a room or going to sleep. Plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet. Do not use an extension cord or power strip, which could overheat. Do not plug any other electrical devices into the same outlet as the heater.
Ovens & Candles:
Please do not in any instance ever use your oven to provide any heat. While it is ok to cook with the oven door closed, leaving oven doors open, even just a crack, can omit carbon monoxide (CO), which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Never leave lit candles unattended or burning close to any papers, clothing, rugs or curtains.
Other Ways to Stay Warm at Home:
Consider placing rolled up towels at the base of any exterior door – especially any patio doors. This will help keep any slight cold drafts from entering. If needed, grab a blanket and a sweatshirt and head over to the warming center located at the town library. Consider grabbing a hot cup of coffee or tea on your way.
No Frozen Pipes:
Keep faucets running at a slow drip. This will ensure constant water circulation through the pipes and help prevent the water from standing still and freezing. Also, keep your dwelling heated to at least 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature falls below 60 degrees, the pipes may freeze and break, causing a leak that will more than likely affect not only your home, but all those surrounding you.
Braving the Cold:
If you have to go outside, dress in lightweight layers. Using several thinner layers can provide better insulation than one or two thick layers. If possible, the first layer should be long underwear made out of a nonabsorbent material. If you have to be outside for an extended period of time, make sure your feet stay dry. This is key to keeping our bodies warm. To keep feet dry in cold, snowy weather, wear waterproof boots and socks made of fleece, IsoWool or similar type fabrics. In extreme winter conditions, ice accumulation is often inevitable. Please take extra caution when navigating exterior stair wells, sidewalks, parking garage/lots, etc..
Keeping Pets Safe & Warm:
Our pets will need to go outside regardless of weather conditions. So if you are a pet owner, put booties on their paws before taking them outside. Cold air, sleet and snow can give pets chapped paws and itchy, flaking skin. And if their paws aren’t covered, pets can risk exposure to dangerous chemicals from ice-melting agents that they may then lick off of their bare paws. Again, if you don’t have booties available, your socks will do the trick. And be sure to check their paws when they come inside as chunks of ice can get stuck in between their paws.
Don’t Forget Your Ice and Snow-Covered Car:
Keep your gas tank full. Cold temperatures can cause condensation to form on the walls of a nearly empty gas tank. Soon, that water can drip down into the gas. Since water is heavier than gas, it will eventually sink to the bottom of the tank, where it can make its way into the fuel lines and freeze, blocking the flow of gas into your engine and stranding you.
Stay safe and warm this season.
Fall Preparation for Winter Precipitation
When the beautiful fall leaves turn and the air becomes crisp is a good time to think about how to prepare for the coming cold months. It is important to make sure your home is ready for the coming winter. Winter can cause cause costly bills. Heating costs can double if your windows are poorly insulated or if the heating system is out-of-date. Plumbing can break or burst creating extensive damage to your home and high water bills. To prevent damage, it is just as important to winterize your home even if it will be vacant for long periods of time. Making proper precautions to ensure your home is prepared for winter can save you time, money and a lot of unnecessary hassle.
- 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.
- Insulate pipes with insulation and wrap any exposed pipes.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 if you plan to be gone for a prolonged period of time and make sure 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.
Early this year we experienced extreme low temperatures and lots of snow. Pine Cove lost of over a million gallons of water in February and March this year. This loss was a result of many leaks around the District and caused by freezing temperatures. PCWD always recommends turning your water off at the street customer valve to prevent any water disasters or leaks. Conserving water whenever possible is important to this District. Pine Covers are very aware and are cautious 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.
Update On Leaks Around the District
In the last month we have experienced very cold temperatures and with cold temperatures comes an increased risk of frozen or burst pipes and leaks. In the past four weeks the workers have been out searching, listening, and assessing for leaks. Countless hours of digging to uncover water meters. Many emergency shutoffs have been called in because of leaks. The water production had doubled in a short time and with all the leaks we found combined the total of water is a minimum of 1,200,700 gallons. Wow.
There were 25 leaks located around the district and 20 of them are not full time residents and they did not shut the water off at the street at the customer valve.
We appreciate all the help from our customers in locating a leak and as always you will receive a leak reward for calling in a confirmed leak on a property tat isn’t your own. As always we highly recommend shutting off your customer valve at the street if you plan to leave your mountain home for 24 hours or more.
Leaks All Around The District- PCWD Is Updating Emergency Contact Information
Recently, we had to send out an emergency email to all of our customers that had an email address on file. The message was in regards to freezing temperatures, and broken pipes. We were producing twice the amount of water we should be for this time of year, and we needed to get the word out quickly that houses and pipes needed to be checked for running water.
In this process, we have identified the accounts that do not have an email address on file. While we understand that not everyone has an email address, we wanted to try one more time to make sure that our records are complete, and that you can receive immediate notice if there is a problem with your property, or in the District. Perhaps if you don’t have an email address, you have someone in your immediate family that does? We would be happy to add that address and notify someone of your choice that could get the message to you?
If you do not have an email, or if you do not have someone that has one we could send an emergency notice to, please also let us know that. We would like to come up with a way to also notify those accounts, in an emergency situation.
We would like to be able to keep our customers informed as best we can. If you are unsure if you have an email account on file or would like to update to a current email address pleas feel free to contact the office by phone or email.
All customer information is ONLY used for PCWD’s records and will not be sold or used for any soliciting purposes.
Lindsay Owen Office Assistant
(951)659-2675 lowen@pcwd.com
Winter is here…. friendly reminder from PCWD
The cold weather has finally arrived. We advise all of our customers to turn your customer valve off by the meter when you leave your mountain home. Forgetting to turn off your water during the winter season increases the risk for burst pipes and damage to your home. When water freezes in a pipe, it expands. If it expands enough, the pipe bursts, water escapes and serious, costly damage is the result. If don’t know where your customer valve is we would be happy to send a field worker during regular office hours to come show you or if you need your customer valve shut off we can shut it off for you for a small fee of $15. In the unfortunate event that a pipe does break any and all water that is lost will be the responsibility of the customer to pay for. PCWD does not forgive any water usage even if it is from a burst pipe. As always feel free to contact to office for any questions or concerns regarding your water bill, usage or winterizing your home.
PCWD Office: (951)659-2675
Emergency after hours: (951)294-8282
BE WATER WISE
Helpful hints on how to conserve our presious water
Over half the water use inside a home takes place in the bathroom.
Turn off the water while shaving or brushing teeth. (Savings: up to 4 gallons a minute, or up to 200 gallons a week for a family of four!)
Take short showers instead of tub baths; showers use less water. (If you keep your showers to under 5 minutes you’ll save up to 1,000 gallons a month.)
If you do take a bath, be sure to plug the drain right away and adjust the temperature as you fill the tub.
Don’t use your toilet as a wastebasket. Use a leak-free, high efficiency toilet. (Toilets are by far the main source of water use in the home: nearly 30 percent of residential indoor water consumption.)
When washing your hands, turn off the water while you lather.
In the kitchen Cook up some real water savings.
Wash only full loads of dishes, and select the appropriate water level or load size option on the dishwasher.
Do not use water to defrost frozen foods; thaw foods in the refrigerator overnight.
Scrape, rather than rinse dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
Compost food waste instead of using the garbage disposal or throwing it in the trash.
Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool
Rinse out some real money savings with your laundry.
Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
Consider purchasing a high efficiency washing machine, which can save over 50 percent in laundry water and energy use.
Always fix leaks everywhere.
You can significantly reduce water use by simply repairing leaks in fixtures (faucets and showerheads), pipes, and toilets. A leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons per day. That would be like flushing your toilet more than 50 times for no reason!
Outdoors
Of the estimated 29 billion gallons of water used daily by households in the United States, nearly 9 billion gallons (30 percent) is used outdoors. In the hot summer months, or in dry climates, a household’s outdoor water use can be as high as 70 percent.
Native and drought tolerant plants can make a beautiful alternative to unused turf areas in your yard. Purchase an inexpensive hose timer to avoid over-watering. Soaker hoses are also a great option for avoiding evaporation.
Collecting rainwater to use on your landscape can help you save water outdoors.
Many local water providers offer rebates on efficient irrigation devices.
Use a broom or electric blower to clean driveways and sidewalks, rather than hosing them off.
When washing your car, use an adjustable nozzle or sprayer and turn off the water stream while soaping your vehicle.
Posted in: Community, Conservation, Leaks, Uncategorized
Leave a Comment (0) →Thank you!
We would like to Thank all of the customers and residents of Pine Cove for your continued diligence in helping us find leaks and conserving water. There have been several helpful calls made to us by the residents regarding possible leaks. While not all of the reports have been confirmed leaks we sincerely appreciate the continued efforts to work together. There was one leak discovered on Sylvan Way that was originally thought to be a spring but after further inspection we found the leak. We have purchased updated state of the art leak detection equipment that will greatly assist us in finding any leaks even faster. As promised we are still giving rewards to anyone who a calls in a possible leak and it is confirmed.
Posted in: Community, Conservation, Customer Infomation, Leaks
Leave a Comment (0) →Billing
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.
