PORTLAND, Oregon — Temperatures around the Portland metro area aren't expected to rise above freezing until Wednesday. The bitter cold means it's a good idea to protect your house pipes from bursting.
Jake Shively has worked as a plumber for almost 10 years. He said the first step is to do a quick look outside your home and identify where all the shut-off valves are located.
“First step of winterizing is disconnecting whatever is attached to it; this allows any water that could’ve been trapped inside the faucet to now drip out," explained Shively.
Next, you want to move inside and check for any spaces that are unheated like your basement, attic, and garage.
"If you have piping that comes outside of the wall and into an open space, like a garage, it’s probably a good idea to go to Home Depot and get some insulation just to protect it,” he said.
Pipes inside the kitchen and bathroom cabinets are also likely to freeze, so it's helpful to leave them open. Plumbers recommend not skimping on the heat, saying a burst pipe often leads to a pricier clean-up than a hefty electric bill.
“You can crank the heat up in your house to make sure that everything inside the walls is going to be as hot as it can be," Shively said.
If all else fails, simply let water drip from your faucets: “You can open your faucets; just crack them where there is a little stream. Therefore, the water is moving and can't freeze and crystalize.”
If your pipes do freeze and cause a leak, it's best to find those valves in your house and shut them off right away and then go inside and drain your faucets.
If you don’t have access or the tools to reach your valves, you may need to call your local fire station and have them shut the water off for you.