Baby, It’s Cold Outside… Time to protect those faucets and pipes!

I am sitting here watching the national weather report and see that some of you up Northeast are getting some temperatures that may be making you feel like you are competing with Antarctica! Not to make anyone jealous as I step outside to a sunny Southern California climate… I know, I know, I couldn’t resist! But with all sincerity I do remember all too well how daunting some of those freezing temps and wind chills can get. I know a lot of you are out there very busy preparing for the weather. You may be freezing your butt off just to haul yourself to the grocery store only to find that the water, bread and chip aisle are looking like some Apocalyptic zombie movie has staged the place. Some of you are still required to dredge yourself into work only to find out your car is buried and your car doors are all frozen shut so that you can’t even get in to start the car to warm it up. And some of you may even be brave enough to get outside looking like white walkers to your neighbors while attempting to shovel out last nights droppings only to find that you can’t remember where you placed that snow shovel last year. There is a lot to do to prepare and while you are buried underneath mother nature’s most beautiful of seasons, do NOT forget to protect your home.

What do I need to do to protect my home? Do you remember last week when the temperatures rose to some really beautiful temps allowing us outside to feel like Spring may just be on our horizon? Remember when you were out watering plants and tending to your landscape? That hose you were using is still likely filled with water pooled up inside it. Does anyone know what happens to water when it freezes? YEP! It expands. Water in a hose can expand back into your pipes. Undoubtedly this could cause a serious break in your pipes resulting in thousands in repairs. So, don’t forget to leave the faucets inside (on warm) and outdoor faucets dripping tonight. Also make sure all of those outdoor hoses are unhooked from the spicket (proudly showing my roots here as spell check is telling me that spicket is not an actual word). Well, spellcheck… you didn’t grow up in the South, did ya? There are also a lot of products out there that will help. Here are some great products you can use to protect your outdoor faucets:

   

Stay safe and have fun out there you guys! Tell your “others” to heat up some hot cocoa for you when you get back in. We are dreaming of snow… I even whipped out a picture to show you all an adorable picture of my little girls wishing and hoping for snow (back when Virginia was hit with what I lovingly called Frankenstorm) …