WINTER WEATHER PRECAUTIONS

Water Tips For When Temperatures Stay Below Freezing:

• Turn off and fully drain your irrigation sprinkler system, if you have one.
• Disconnect garden hoses.
• Stop cold air from getting to water lines by closing off crawl spaces, fixing drafty windows, insulating walls, and plugging drafts around doors.
• Where pipes and backflow preventers are exposed to cold, wrap them with insulation or heat tape (even fabric, towels, or newspaper can help).
• Open the doors to vanities and cabinets to let warmer room temperatures flow in.
• Keep your heat on day and night.
• Locate and make accessible your main water shut off valve(s) to your house.
• If you are home and monitoring your water, then leave the faucets open some to allow the water to keep moving (leave both the hot and cold water facets on a trickle).
• If you are not home and able to monitor your water, then shut off the water to your house at the house shut off valve and drain any remaining water in your pipes.
• If the pipes freeze – you can melt the frozen water in the pipe by warming the air around it with a hair dryer or space heater. Be sure not to leave space heaters unattended and do not use kerosene heaters, torches, or open flames.
• Once pipes are thawed, check pipes and joints for any cracks or leaks that might have been caused by freezing.
• If you discover a leak, turn off the water supply to your home at the main shut off valve at the house and contact a plumber.
  • Your house shut off valve should be located at the first point of entry where the water comes into the house and there should also be a shut off valve approximately two feet after your meter box (on the house side).
  • Do not open or tamper with the meter box.
  • If you cannot find your house shut off valve(s), call St. John’s Water Company for a technician to turn off your water service. If St. John’s Water Company turns off the water service, we cannot guarantee when we will be able to turn the water back on once you have fixed the leak.  It is better for you to shut off the water with your house shut off valve so that you can turn the water back on when your repair is completed and you are ready.
• John’s Water Company owns the water mains up to and including the meter box in the public right of ways and easements. We are not responsible for the private service lines between the meter box and your home. If you have a plumbing problem after the meter box up to your home and including in your home then it is the customer’s responsibility to call a plumber and fix the problem.