MARIETTA, Ga. — The threat of below-freezing temperatures is putting thousands of homes at risk this week. The main concern is pipes freezing or bursting, which could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs.
A few hours between now and Thursday could protect homes against the chilling cold. Coolray Heating and Cooling senior sales consultant David Poulos said a few checks of the HVAC and plumbing systems could make all the difference. He suggests first checking the air filter to make sure it's clean.
"It could cause the furnace to short cycle and then shut down," Poulos said. "Then you have to call a professional to come out and clean all that up."
Check the flue pipe, Poulos said, for rust, cracks or discoloring. The flue pipe can be found near the furnace or water heater. If flawed, the flue pipe could leak carbon monoxide into the home. Having a carbon monoxide detector, or at least making sure the detector has fresh batteries, can let people know if there's a potential risk of potential carbon monoxide poisoning.
"You should put your thermostat one or two degrees higher than you normally keep it because if you have some cold spots in your house, it'll at least warm it up a little bit," Poulos said.
The heating expert said prep work on both the outside and inside of the home can help prevent the risk of pipes bursting.
"Make sure your hose bibs are turned off at the source by the water heater," Poulos said. "Then you want to go out and bleed the water out of the hose bibs and then put a cover over them to protect them from freezing."
Poulos recommends insulating pipes by putting warm clothing or towels on them to prevent freezing. Leaving cabinets open can also let heat more easily get to the pipes.
"Go ahead and drip your faucets on the cold and hot side," Poulos said. "Just drip them a little because running water takes a lot longer to freeze than standing water."
While this work can take about an hour or less, Poulos said spending that time and a bit of money on higher energy or water costs could prevent pipes from bursting and save homeowners and renters big bucks.
"You might want to spend a little now to prevent everything to have a busted pipe, and now you're really in trouble," Poulos said.