SPU encourages locals to check their pipes as temperatures drop

Seattle Public Utilities is encouraging locals to think about maintenance around their homes to prevent burst pipes as the weather gets colder.

Below-freezing temperatures can burst water pipes around your home, potentially causing serious property damage and wasting large amounts of water.

While burst pipes are usually easy to spot, smaller breaks often go unnoticed, so SPU is encouraging locals to regularly check these areas for leaks:

• Make sure outdoor faucets aren’t dripping and if you can access the pipe that feeds the faucet, inspect it for any leaks.
• Check sprinkler heads for leaks, and look for unusually damp sections in your garden, which may point to an underground leak.
• Pipes in your basement, crawlspace or garage are often subjected to freezing temperatures so look for wet spots or puddles on the ground.
• Inspect the pipes for tankless water heaters that run along the exterior of your house for leaks.
• Check any indoor sink pipes that are against exterior walls.

My Ballard reader Catherine emailed in a photo of a burst pipe (pictured above) that she discovered at Crown Hill Park this morning. “One of the first freeze burst pipes of the season,” writes Catherine.

For more information on preparing water pipes for winter weather, click here.