Living in the usually warm Lowcountry means rarely thinking about what to do when it drops below freezing, but there are some important things to keep in mind.

Drip a faucet

If the temperature is predicted to drop below freezing overnight, make sure to turn on at least one faucet to a slow drip through the night. About 5 to 10 drips per minute is a good rate, and will minimize water waste while relieving the pressure on the system that can lead to a broken pipe. Faucets that have pipes on the outer walls of your house are especially important to open, since these are more exposed to the cold than those in internal rooms.

Find your shut-off valve.

If you aren’t sure where your home’s emergency shut off valve for the plumbing system is, make sure to find it. It might be in the garage, a utility room, or even under the crawl space if you have one. Usually, it will be located near to where the water main enters the home. In some homes, the valve is located at the street. If you do have a burst pipe, the first thing to do right away, is get that valve shut off.

Open cabinets.

Simply opening cabinet doors where there is plumbing underneath can also help those pipes stay warmer. By letting the air from your home circulate more freely, your home’s HVAC will help to keep those pipes a little bit warmer. In addition, turning up your thermostat a couple of degrees will also help to keep the plumbing above freezing.

What if my pipes freeze anyway?

If you turn on a tap but don’t get a consistent flow of water, then its possible there is a frozen pipe. You should start immediately looking for leaks, however it is possible the frozen pipe is somewhere hidden where you won’t find it. A licensed plumber can help determine if there are any leaks. If you do find a leak, the most important thing is to get the water shut off. While this can’t undo any damage that has been done, it will certainly keep it from getting any worse. Water damage can be extremely expensive, so it is important to mitigate that as quickly as possible.

If you do have a leak or burst pipe, once the water is off, the next step is to get in touch with a water damage restoration expert who can get started undoing the damage, and then contact your insurance agent to determine if you need to file a claim. If you don’t know who to call for water damage restoration services, ask your agent to refer you to a company they trust.