How To Prepare Your Home & Yourself From The Cold

picture from jacdupree

Rain City Guide had some tips for your home:

"If you can, turn the main water supply to the house off and drain the system from the lowest point and flush the toilets. Leave the cabinet doors open on any sink that is on an exterior wall. Remove any attached hose pipes from exterior bibs, etc. Also, to put insulation around an exterior faucet you can improvise using a towel wrapped around and secured with a plastic bag and either tape or a heavy duty rubber band." (link)

Some advice from the City of Seattle:

Keep grills and emergency generators outdoors
Seattle City Light reminds people that barbecue grills and emergency generators should never be operated indoors. Doing so could cause fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. If you lose power, dress in layers to stay warm and seal up drafty windows and doors to slow the loss of heat in your home.

City Light ready to respond to outages
City Light has sufficient crews on standby and supplies stocked to respond to outages. Some utility trucks will be fitted with tire chains for the weekend so they will be better able to navigate snowy streets if necessary. Additionally, City Light has enough generating capacity to meet the rise in electricity demand as temperatures drop.

In the event of a large-scale outage, residents should be ready to fend for themselves for at least three days.

One of the best steps is to assemble an emergency kit with at least three days of food and water for each person in the family and any family pets. Other items to include are a hand-crank or battery-operated flashlight and radio, fresh batteries, a survival blanket, a first aid kit, pocket tissues and hand sanitizer wipes. For a complete list of what to include, please visit www.govlink.org/3days3ways.

Seattle Public Utilities will have extra drainage and drinking water crews on standby this weekend, to respond to customer calls. Please call 684-3000 to report problems related to power, drinking water, wastewater or drainage.

Protect your pipes from freezing temperatures
Before the cold hits, insulate pipes in your home's crawl spaces and attic. These exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. Remember, the more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes will be.

Seal leaks that allow cold air inside, near where pipes are located. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents and pipes. Use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out and the heat in. With severe cold, a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.

Disconnect garden hoses and, if practical, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance of freezing in the short span of pipe just inside the house.

When the mercury drops, a trickle of hot and cold water might be all it takes to keep your pipes from freezing. Let warm water drip overnight, preferably from a faucet on an outside wall. Open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks and appliances near exterior walls.

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