With bitter cold temperatures this week, including a low of 6 degrees for tomorrow, we want to remind residents and water customers to take precautions to help prevent frozen pipes. Frozen pipes not only cause great inconvenience as you manage without or with very little water, the contracting and expanding of the freeze-thaw process can sometimes lead to major problems.

The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor offers these winter basics once the temperature falls at or below zero:

• Turn at least one faucet on and let a small, pencil-size stream run (especially at night). Ideally, the faucet should be on an exterior wall.
• If you have a larger, two-story home, let a small stream run from a second faucet upstairs.
• Open cabinet doors to let room temperatures reach exposed pipes under sinks.

If your pipes freeze, you should use your home or business’s master shut-off valve to immediately prevent water from flowing into the building, and call a licensed plumber. Other things to note about frozen pipes:

• Not all plumbing systems are the same.
• Attempting to thaw a frozen pipe without a professional plumber’s help or advice can lead to serious damages that are very expensive to repair.
• If you proceed carefully and you are not in an area of standing water, you may be able to thaw a pipe with a hair dryer. However, do not attempt this without talking to a plumber first.
• Never attempt to thaw a pipe with a torch or any other kind of open flame! This is extremely dangerous and can be deadly.
• After a frozen pipe is thawed, turn the water back on very slowly while watching carefully for any leaks. Be prepared to shut your water off at the master valve in case of a leak.