Well, you survived last nights' subzero temperatures. There is no emergency and you are warm, but keep in mind that you are not quite over the hump. Let me make a few more suggestions to avoid an unexpected emergency as we experience more frigid weather this winter:

• 1. Go around your house and turn on every faucet, except for the outside hose bibs (leave those alone until later or spring and I will tell you what to do at that time). As you turn on the inside faucets, make sure that there is full pressure hot and cold water flowing to each including all tub valves, shower valves, Water Closets (toilets), kitchen sink, laundry, etc. If the water is coming through at a normal, full pressure, and you do not hear any water running elsewhere (which would indicate a split in your pipe), then all is well. But do remember to repeat this process anytime we have had severe cold.
• 
  
• 2. Go around your house and feel for the cold spots. The most common spots for leaks of cold air into your home include around electrical plugs, around door frames to the outside doors or around some of your window frames. Look for windows with ice on them or water running down their side panels. All of these signs show you that your home is losing energy to the outside or where your house leaks. Just a few small leaks where cold air can enter your home can cause your home temperature to drop and the likelihood of freezing the water in your pipes. Make written notes about all of these areas because in the spring and summer, you can spend some time caulking or adding insulation in these trouble areas so that next winter you can have a tighter home, which results in lower energy bills and avoids broken pipes.
• 
  
• 3. If you find a faucet that is not providing hot or cold water, then you need to act promptly. You may have a frozen pipe or you may have a frozen and split pipe. The latter is one is serious and can cause extensive damage once the pipe thaws and the water flows. When you notice this problem, call Kimmel Service immediately. Before calling, make note all of those fixtures where you are lacking either hot or cold water . Next, find the main shutoff valve to your home. In most cases it is located in the basement and/or the front of the house and protrudes through the wall where the water service line comes into your home. Turn it off! This will prevent the burst pipe from flooding your home. And finally, call us at Kimmel Service to arrange for immediate emergency service.
• 
  
• 4. When the technician arrives at your home to make the repairs, give the list you made of all of the problem areas. This will help him a great deal in pinpointing the problem and can speed up the repairs. It may be that you only have frozen pipes and with the electric thawing machines they can quickly thaw out the pipes and determine if the line is simply frozen or it has split open. They would then be able to make the necessary repairs if a pipe has burst. If the pipes are frozen, then the plumber will thaw the line(s), check out the piping and complete his work. As you may imagine, pipes that are simply frozen and need to be thawed are less complicated and costly than frozen and broken pipes.

I hope this information helps you with your immediate concerns and will prevent a plumbing disaster. We are probably due for more subzero temperatures this winter, so being prepared helps prevent these large problems. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call at my office.

Tom D'Agostino, Service Manager, Tel# 303-952-8668
Kimmel Mechanical, Inc., Kimmel Service www.kimmelservice.com