With cold weather sticking around, you not only have to protect yourself from the cold, but your home too. The cold temperatures can freeze your pipes.
It happened Thursday at a Greenfield industrial building.
"Seventy-five percent of the structure had standing water in it. It's easily the size of our fire station," said Jon Cohn, the Greenfield Fire Chief.
And it could happen in your home. Cohn hopes people learn from the shocking video.
"Not saving $100 in heat to create $10,000 in damage," he said.
Jessie Cannizzaro, a master plumber and the owner of Milestone Plumbing in Wauwatosa, said this time of year the calls roll in fast. She said an early warning sign is water that is only hot or only cold.
Before you have to make an emergency call to a plumber, though. Cannizzaro and Cohn have some recommendations: "Keeping the temperature up inside the house is probably the easiest thing to do," Cannizzaro said.
"We're recommending people know how to shut the water off," Cohn said.
Cannizzaro said it's a step you can take even if you're going out of town and want to prevent too much damage. It's also your first step if a pipe does break to avoid major damage.
- Let water drip when it's cold.
- Open cabinet doors to let in warm air.
- Have someone check on your home when you're not around
- Disconnect hoses and shut off outside valves.
"We get busy with the holidays, you're not thinking about those things and then when water starts pouring it's a little too late," Cannizzaro said.
She recommends looking at your insurance coverage, too. Some companies don't cover that kind of damage, but it may be a simple conversation to add that protection if you want it.
