Caldwell has about 114 days a year at or below freezing, and its January lows average 25°F. Select your town and the route your pipes take, whether a heated inside wall or an outdoor spigot, and the checker reports how much freeze risk they carry.
You get a risk level and the steps that help before a cold night.
We look at two things. The first is the average January low where you live, taken from ten years of daily weather. The second is where the pipes run. Pipes in an attic, a crawl space or a garage lose heat faster than pipes in a heated inside wall, and pipes on an outside wall or an outdoor spigot are the most exposed.
Each one adds points. A low score reads as low risk. Higher scores read as moderate, high or severe.
A 25°F average January low earns Caldwell two climate points ahead of any pipe score. Placement then does the rest. Pipes in a heated inside wall come out at moderate risk, those in a crawl space, garage or attic at high risk, and an outside wall or outdoor spigot at severe. Choose a spot in your own house for the steps that go with each level.
An average is a typical figure and not a forecast. A single cold night can be colder than the January average, so the steps in the result are worth doing once and leaving in place.
Know where the main water shut-off valve is. Drain and disconnect garden hoses and cover outdoor spigots before the first freeze. Insulate pipes in unheated spaces. On a freezing night, a slight drip at a faucet and open cabinet doors on outside walls help. If you will be away, keep the heat on or have the plumbing drained. A plumber can look at any run you are unsure about.
It can in Caldwell, where January lows average 25°F and about 114 days a year reach 32°F or lower. Outdoor spigots and pipes in an unheated crawl space, garage or attic are the ones left exposed, and the checker lists steps for each.
Water freezes at 32°F, but a pipe needs several hours of cold to freeze through. Pipes in an unheated space or on an outside wall are the first to go.
A slight drip keeps water moving through the pipe, and opening cabinet doors lets warm air reach pipes under sinks on outside walls. Both are simple steps for a night that drops below freezing.
It is usually where the water line enters the house, in a garage, a utility room or on an outside wall near the meter. Find it before you need it, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is.
Keep the heat on at 55°F or higher, or have the plumbing drained before you leave. A plumber can drain the system and tell you how to bring it back.
Climate figures: Daymet daily data 2015 to 2024 for each place.
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