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 Before temperatures are below freezing customers
should:
Check sprinkler or irrigation systems. Make sure you have turned
everything off and fully drained systems.
Identify your homes freezing points. Check your home for pipes in
areas that may be prone to freezing, such as crawl spaces, unheated
rooms, basements, garages and exterior walls.
Know the location of the main water shut-off valve. If a pipe
freezes or bursts, shut off water immediately.
Protect your pipes and water meters. Customers are encouraged to
wrap exposed pipes with insulation. For outside meters, keep the lid
to the meter pit closed tightly.
When temperatures stay below freezing customers should:
Prevent pipes from freezing. Allow a small trickle of water to run
overnight to keep pipes from freezing. Consider collecting the water
for later use such as watering indoor plants and more. The cost of a
short-term trickle is much less costly than a repair to a burst
pipe.
Open cabinet doors to expose pipes. Opening cabinet doors exposes
pipes to warmer room temperatures.
If pipes freeze customers should:
Shut off the water immediately and not attempt to thaw frozen
pipes unless the water is shut off. Freezing can often cause unseen
cracks in pipes or joints.
Apply heat to the frozen pipe by warming the air around it.
Customers can use a hair dryer, space heater or hot water. Space
heaters should not be left unattended, and customers should avoid
using kerosene heaters or open flames.
Once pipes thaw, water should be turned on slowly and pipes should
be checked for cracks and leaks. [to top of second
column] |
When customers are away, they should:
Have a friend, relative or neighbor regularly check their property to ensure
the heat is working and the pipes have not frozen.
Consider purchasing a freeze alarm. The alarm will call a user-selected phone
number if the inside temperature drops below 45 degrees.
Customers are also encouraged to ensure their contact information
is up to date to receive important water service information should their
service be impacted. Customers can manage their account online at
illinoisamwater.com. They can also call 800.422.2782 to update contact
information.
About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of
American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor- owned water utility in the
state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to
approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer
service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in
Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest
and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater
utility company. The company employs more than 6,800 dedicated professionals who
provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related
services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean,
affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep
their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com
[Karen Cotton, External Affairs
Manager]
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