Atlanta Water Damage Restoration

Warning: Freezing temperatures can cause frozen pipes and water damage in Atlanta over the next few nights!

City of Atlanta Water Utilities are encouraging homeowners to be extra careful to avoid having frozen pipes burst. Water Utility Departments all over the country are being inundated with calls and complaints about frozen and burst water pipes.

Atlanta is no different as we receive our second week of  low temperatures of under 20 degrees. Today Atlanta meteorologists describe it as feeling zero degrees with the wind chill factors. Since it will remain bitingly cold through next week here are a few helpful reminders to prevent your pipes from freezing, bursting and causing water damage. Remember that clean up is only half the battle if your pipes freeze. What you also have to worry about is the water damage restoration work that may be required. Failure to clean up correctly could result in mold problems later on.

Here are a few helpful reminders to avoid your pipes from freezing:

• Outside hose connections are the most susceptible since they are open to the elements.  Exterior weathr proof insulated bibs can be purchased from Home Depot or Lowes to help keep these insulated from the harsh wind

• Do you have any exposed pipes in an unheated garage or basement? Wrap these with pipe insulation (also available from Home Depot). If you can’t get out then take some old news paper and wrap several layers of the newspaper around their tightly.

• Pick up some heat tape that you can plug into a nearby outlet or receptacle. This heat tape will keep the pipes nice and toasty!

• What about letting your faucets drip at night? This could be a good idea. Experts tell us not let the the stream of water get larger than the lead of a pencil.

• Do you know where your master water valve is? You better locate it now before you have a problem. Look  where pipes enter a garage, crawl space or basement. If your pipes break you will need to shut this off as quickly as possible to avoid water damage.

• What if my pipes freeze, can I use an open flame to melt them? While this might sound smart at first… don’t do it! It can easily cause a fire or actually damage the pipe connections and fittings. (Many pipes are made of pvc and could easily be damaged.)

Take this advice so you do not have to worry about your pipes freezing over the next few days and then having to suffer water damage in Atlanta.

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Atlanta water damage restoration specialists

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