NEW ORLEANS — The last thing anyone wants to deal with Christmas morning is a busted pipe, but with that arctic air moving in that's a risk. That's why now is the time to get your home ready.
Paul Spitzfaden stopped at several hardware stores before he barely found pipe insulation still in stock at Mary's Ace Hardware.
"We learned when the weather will be below 30 degrees for a length of time, you prepare, otherwise you call a plumber," Spitzfaden said, remembering when his pipes busted a few years ago. "You have water all over the place and a broken pipe and frustration and aggravation."
Eyewitness Morning News Meteorologist Payton Malone and Mary's Ace Hardware Maintenance Engineer Rudi Pettagrew offered some tips to get your pipes ready.
The first and easiest step they suggest is removing your garden hose from any outside water faucets.
If you already added insulation to your pipes years ago, check them to make sure they are still in good condition.
"Your insulation starts to look a little old," Malone said while ripping out his old insulation.
Replace insulation covering any exposed pipes if needed. You can find pipe insulation at a hardware store.
"Make sure when you're doing it you want it to go all the way to the ground," Malone said.
Malone said to secure it with duct tape.
"When you tape around this, you don’t want it to be so tight that it's squeezing so hard, you want it to be firm against the pipe but not squeezing into the insulation itself," he said.
When temps are in the 20's, drip your faucet.
"If you have a hot and cold side, you want to do both of them," Malone said.
Open up cabinets to allow air to circulate near the pipes.
If you'll be out of town for Christmas, you may want to shut your water off beforehand.
"If you're leaving for the holidays, shut off the water at the main valve where it enters your house, open the lowest faucet you can in your backyard to drain all that water, but remember if you do that turn off your water heater," Pettagrew said.
If you can't find pipe insulation in stock, experts suggest wrapping a pool noodle or dish towels around your pipes as a backup plan.
With raised homes in New Orleans, Pettagrew said it's important to check the pipes under your home and insulate them if they are exposed.
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