Sample issue

Hi there,

In much of the country the first hard freeze lands between mid-October and mid-November. Frozen pipes are one of the more common and costly winter claims, and almost all of it is preventable with an afternoon of work.

Your next two weeks

1. Disconnect every garden hose. A hose left attached can trap water in the faucet, where it freezes and splits the pipe inside the wall.
2. Shut off and drain outdoor faucets if your house has interior shutoff valves for them.
3. Insulate exposed pipes in the garage, crawl space and attic. Foam sleeves from any hardware store cost a few dollars per length.
4. Book the furnace or heat pump service now, before technicians are booked solid.
5. Test smoke and CO alarms and check the manufacture date on the back.

One topic: the hidden-leak meter test

Turn off every tap and appliance that uses water. Write down the reading on your water meter, wait two hours without using any water, and read it again. If the number moved, water is going somewhere it shouldn't, often a running toilet, sometimes a leak under the slab or in the yard line.

Start with the toilets: put a few drops of food coloring in each tank. If color shows up in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, the flapper is leaking. It's a cheap part and an easy fix.

More in our guide to plumbing and water damage prevention.

Talk soon,
Secret Home Watch