Frozen Or Burst Water Pipes? Leesburg Offers Tips To Avoid Them

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Did you attach a hose to your outside faucet to wash your car over the long weekend? If you forgot to remove the hose and drain the pipe, but your pipe didn't freeze last night, you got lucky. Don't forget to drain the pipe and shut off the water to the outside before you go to bed tonight because your luck may run out. With temperatures expected to dip near 20 degrees Fahrenheit tonight, there's a chance your pipes could freeze.

Winters aren't as cold as they used to be in Northern Virginia, but the temperatures still get low enough to freeze pipes in your house, especially older houses that may not have the type of insulation as the newer ones. You don't want to have to search for the main shut-off valve as water sprays from a burst pipe along an uninsulated wall.

Once you remember where the main shut-off valve is, be sure to tell everyone else in the house where it is in case of an emergency, the Leesburg Department of Utilities warned Tuesday.

If you're going to be away from your home for an extended time, shut off the water supply and drain the system. During extended periods of below-freezing temperatures, open doors to any cabinets with water supply lines, such as under kitchen and bathroom sinks, to allow warm air to circulate.

Right now, the forecast isn't calling for an extended cold spell in the remaining days of January. But let's wait to find out if the groundhog sees its shadow before making any predictions for February.

If your pipes do freeze, don't thaw them with an open flame or a space heater. A hair dryer can be used if there is no standing water in the area, the utilities department said.

If there is no water coming out of the faucets in your house and you've determined it's not a frozen line within the home, your water meter may be frozen. Contact the Leesburg Department of Utilities at 703-771-2750 for assistance.