Wally Wise Guy's Wise Words of the Week: Keep the Water Flowing This Winter

Avoid expensive plumbing repairs, costly damage to personal property stored in unheated areas, and keep the water flowing freely in your home in the winter by following these easy-to-do tips to maintain home water systems:

• Shut off outside water faucets from the inside valves. To drain these faucets, leave the outside valves open.
• Keep the area around your water meter above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wrap your water meter and its connecting pipe with insulation.
• Caulk windows near water meters or pipes. Cover these windows with plastic.
• Replace or cover cracked or broken windows.
• Wrap and insulate all water pipes in unheated areas such as sheds, under kitchen floors, and in garages.
• Let water trickle overnight in extremely cold weather to keep your pipes from freezing.
• If the water service line or other internal pipes freeze or break, call a plumber to thaw the frozen water in the service line or to repair the damaged or broken pipe.

For more information on how to prepare yourself for the winter or any emergency, visit the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management at www.phila.gov/ready.