The blizzard pummelling parts of the country from the Carolinas to Maine this month may be over. However, the coldest temperatures of the year are still to come in the Northeast.

Frozen or cracked pipes, broken radiators, malfunctioning furnaces, flooding and leaks are just a few of the many unwanted plumbing issues brought on by this frigid arctic air.
The Massachusetts State Fire Marshall has some tips to help you keep the pipes in your home or business from freezing:

• Let the water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes.
• Open the cabinet doors in the kitchen and bathroom to allow warmer air to circulate around the pipes.
• Don’t turn the thermostat down at night.
• Turn off the water outside.
• If you’re going to be away during a cold snap, keep the thermostat in your home or business set to at least 55º F.

If only a trickle of water comes out when you turn on a faucet, a pipe is probably frozen. The first thing you should do is find the area of the pipe that might be frozen. Those locations include where your water service enters your home through the foundation and against exterior walls.

Here are some tips to thaw those frozen pipes:

• Keep the faucet open as running water through the pipe will help melt more ice.
• Apply heat to the section of pipe with an electric hair dryer or wrap an electric heating pad or towels soaked in hot water around the pipe.
• Apply heat until full water pressure is restored.
• Don’t leave the door of a gas oven open because it will produce large amounts of carbon monoxide. Be sure there are working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home.
• Whether you’re traveling or sound asleep and not immediately aware of these threats, environmental hazard monitoring adds a vital layer of protection to your home.
• Installing a temperature monitoring system will alert you to extreme temperatures and save you substantial money and headaches.

In addition, if potentially deadly gases do seep into your the home, it could be hours or even days until you realize it. By this time you may already have serious and expensive problems from water damage. Flood detection will alert you in the event of a leak in your home.

In addition to threats from flooding or extreme temperatures faced by homeowners, many businesses face environmental risks when they use potentially hazardous materials and processes. We can customize an environmental monitoring system and integrate it into to your business security system to cover the risks associated with your specific operations.

We can also monitor your building for water leaks helping you avoid thousands of dollars in damages and the headaches associated with water damage from flooding or broken pipes.

NEXT STEPS:

• Subscribe to our blog to stay informed about the latest security news and insight.
• Stay up to date on security topics such as home alarm systems, business security systems, video surveillance systems, IP video networks, remote video monitoring, fire alarm systems, and fire alarm inspection.