Cold Weather Coming Soon, Time to Prepare

Looks like we really have a blast of cold weather coming next weekend with temperatures on the ranch dropping well below freezing. Here are some great tips that can prepare you for the cold temps and the disaster of frozen line breaks.

1. Make sure meter lid is on and not knocked off to the side. Mark your meter with a 6-8′ piece of pipe, preferably metal or wood so the snow does not bend it over. This really makes it easy to find the meter in case of an emergency. Fill a garbage bag with insulation and put it down inside the meter loosely. This helps trap in the warm ground air and keeps the cold air out.
2. Make sure all crawl spaces and utility rooms are heated and pipes are wrapped in insulation wrap or heat tape. Check that your heat tape is actually working. Never trust the little light on the plug we have seen many fail because of mice chewing them or older tape just not working anymore.
3. If you do not plan on being at your cabin or property, please shut the meter off at the street not where the water line comes into the home. Lines will freeze and break from the meter to the home. When we get snow if the meter is dug up remember to pile snow back on top of it. Snow is a great insulation and will keep the meter from freezing.
4. Please sign up for EOW if you do not have an account. EOW allows you to track your water usage and also get leak alerts via email and text. This can save a lot of property damage and huge water bills. Please contact Carol for your account information.
5. Make sure to disconnect any hoses from outside hose bibs. Hoses will freeze and it will follow the line all the way back into the home.
6. If you only come part time, make sure your thermostat is set and ready to go. These usually fail at the first of the year when temps get cold and do not start the furnace.

We hope these tips help you as cold temperatures come. If you have any questions regarding any of these please reach out to Brody or Trevor and they would be happy to answer any questions. We hope everyone enjoys their time on the ranch and is safe as the winter months approach.