Homeowners: prepare now to prevent frozen pipes later

This week’s first dusting of snow had the City of La Crosse preparing for Old Man Winter.

WIZM talked to Tina Erickson, utilities accounting and customer support supervisor, on how to care and check for frozen pipes in a home.

“If they are going to be gone for an extended time, it might be worth contacting a licensed plumber to have them winterize the home, and they can drain the pipes,” Erickson said. “They can even potentially shut off the heat if the home is properly winterized and make sure there is no chance of that freezing pipes.

“If they are going to be gone for an extended time, it might be worth contacting a licensed plumber to have them winterize the home, and they can drain the pipes,” Erickson said. “They can even potentially shut off the heat if the home is properly winterized and make sure there is no chance of that freezing pipes.”

Erickson added that homeowners should make sure areas with pipes are well heated, including in the basement. Those who do not have a heated basement should make sure it is well insulated to maintain temperature.

Homeowners who do not wish to drain their pipes should keep the thermostat set at 55 degrees or higher.

“We recommend even if they set that thermostat, things happen, so it is good to have a family member check the house periodically to make sure that something didn’t happen where the heat is not turned off,” Erickson said.

The utility department said 2014 was one of the worst years for burst pipes in the city. Erickson said, while we don’t always have such brutal winters, there are often repeat customers who have meters break because pipes start to freeze.

“The next thing that happens is someone calls saying they have no water, or we get a tamper code with our meter,” Erickson said. “We take that meter out. If we take it to our shop and find out the meter is damaged because of freezing, the customer is charged for that, so there is a cost to them in addition to potential damage to their property.”

It costs about $250 to replace a residential meter, according to Erickson.

More information about how to protect a home or check for frozen pipes can be found below.