Preparing for Winter Storms

It looks like an ice storm may be headed our way on Thursday. Weather projections call for significant ice accumulations and widespread power outages throughout central Virginia and into our counties. The forecast for our area is changing, but there is a distinct possibility of freezing rain which could mean power outages, so it is best to be prepared.   

Remember that pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation are susceptible to freezing along with pipes that run over garages or next to dormers. Prevent pipe freezing by opening the cabinet doors below sinks located on outside walls or against attic dormers, and keep the heat set over 60 degrees. Also, keep garage doors closed.

Make sure you have turned off the water to your outside hoses, there should be a valve for each in the basement next to the main water line. In older homes this is not always true. Next, unscrew the hoses. Most modern homes have frost-free sillcocks (hose bibs) installed, and if they are properly installed with a correct angel to drain the water back they should be fine all winter; however, sometimes they are simply not installed right.

Before the storm arrives make sure you have an emergency kit prepared with flashlights, extra batteries, blankets, warm clothes, medications and nonperishable food. Make sure your batteries are new. In case the power goes out, you will need to make sure that your freezer and refrigerator will remain cold. If you do not have a generator fill your freezer with Ziplock bags of water and let it freeze now. The added ice will keep your freezer cold for a few days if you leave it closed. Some of the ice bags can be loaded into the refrigerator to keep the refrigerator cold.

My home is on well water and without electricity I have no water, no septic, no sump pumps, my freezer is full!  I had a Guardian 16 kilowatt automatic generator manufactured by Generac installed years ago. When the power to the house is cut, the generator automatically kicks in and can power most of the house in about 20 seconds. The generator runs on liquid propane from a tank buried in my yard that also powers my hot water heater, gas furnace, gas grill and fireplace (and the spare stove in the summer kitchen). The generator can supply the house for more than two weeks depending how full the propane tanks is.  The generator is under my deck (muffling the sound) and looking good as new even after more than 13 years of sitting outside. If the power goes out and you live in my neighborhood, I am happy to charge your phone. 

If you have a well, your well supply line can freeze. In sub-zero weather wells with and without separate well houses can freeze. Keeping the temperature in a well house above freezing or your well pipe insulated can prevent this. It used to be that an inefficient 100 watt incandescent bulb gave off enough heat to do the job, but now with more efficient bulbs insulation and other sources of heat have to be used. An electric blanket can do the job. Deep wells are unlikely to freeze, it’s usually a supply line that was not buried deep enough.

When there is a thick layer of snow on the ground the snow actually helps to insulate the water well line and the septic system and keep them from freezing. Unfortunately, the rare artic freeze we get in Virginia does not always come with a thick snow cover. Dropping temperatures without snow cover can allow the pipes in septic systems to freeze and/or can identify a well line that was not buried deep enough. Fortunately, frosts do not hang around long here in Virginia, so we should be fine.