Beware of frozen water pipes

You wouldn't think floods are a problem this time of year. But the man-made kind are. <br><br>That's because frozen pipes were keeping plumbers busy this week. If your lucky, like one homeowner,

Tuesday, January 6th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

You wouldn't think floods are a problem this time of year. But the man-made kind are.

That's because frozen pipes were keeping plumbers busy this week. If your lucky, like one homeowner, you simply can't turn on your water. In some cases, the pipes actually burst and flood the house.

Plumbers say the two most important things are to open the door beneath your sink. That lets the warm air from the house get to the pipes. And leave the hot water trickling.

Contrary to what you might think, the hot water pipe is more prone to freezing. Sometimes though, they say mother nature wins anyway. "When you got seven degree weather with that kind of wind and if you got outside pipes in an outside wall, it can get yah."

Plumbers or do-it-yourselfers can also spray a foam insulation into the wall behind your sink to help protect the pipes from the cold.