Weather in Central Texas: City officials and plumbers brace for winter weather

City officials and plumbers are gearing up for the coming winter and sharing tips on how to prepare.

Officials said it was important to be prepared and stay prepared. When temperatures drop, think about people, pets, plants, and pipes.

When temperatures drop below freezing, pipes in your home may burst. James Farr of Champion AC and Plumbing said there are a few things you can do to prevent this.

Farr said if you don’t have electricity, keep the house warm.

“Try to keep the thermostat above 55.60 in these cold conditions, you want airflow through the houses,” Farr said.

He said to open the cupboards to let the warm air flow into the pipes. If any pipes come out, close them.

“I’ve seen some interesting ways people put these Whataburger cups on them, even if you just wrap a towel around them and cover them, just to keep them from being exposed to the elements,” Farr said.

Farr said flush the faucets both hot and cold.

“It is extremely important to try to keep the flow of water through this system. I always use the expression: it’s easy to freeze a pond, but it’s very difficult to freeze a river,” Farr said.

He said that if the water in the pipes freezes, there is nothing you can do until the temperature of the ground warms up.

“Usually when we start seeing leaks, the ground starts to thaw,” Farr said.

Farr said if you see a water leak, turn off the water tap. In most homes, it is located on the side of the water meter in the meter. Then call a specialist.

“We are definitely in demand. There are only a certain number of plumbers for the number of homes we have to service,” Farr said. “We’ll be working long hours to make sure we can reach as many people as possible.”

Austin-Travis County Ambulance Service said they are also ready to work with additional units and 24/7 paramedics.

“If high urgency calls occur, they can act as normal additional response units to those calls, and can also help meet the needs of either their clients, the homeless, or anyone else who may need non-emergency solutions. room,” Austin spokeswoman Christa Steadman said in a statement.

She said stock up on water and food for 7 days, prepare plenty of blankets, bring animals and plants inside, and be aware. Stedman said to be careful if you choose to heat your home in a different way.

“We usually see a spike in carbon monoxide poisoning during cold snaps when the power goes out and people bring their grills inside to heat the house, for example. It is not safe. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, silent killer,” Stedman said. .

If you have a power outage and need a warm place to sleep, the cold weather shelters are open Monday and Tuesday evenings. If you miss check-in time, call 311. City parks and libraries are open during the day as warming shelters.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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