Prevent Frozen Pipes With These Tips

CHICAGO (CBS)-- With below-zero temperatures, the Department of Water Management reminds residents to take precautions to prevent pipes from freezing and causing damage.

The DWM recommended the following tips:

• Maintain adequate heat in your home. Using space heaters is not recommended. However, if you choose to use them, be sure they are UL certified and a least 3 feet from anything that can ignite. Never leave a space heater unattended and make sure you have working carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.

• Insulate pipes, particularly those outside or on the perimeter of the building.

• Run a trickle of cold water on each floor of the home at the points furthest from the location of the main water service into the home.

• Make sure that there is warm air circulating in any area where there are water pipes. This includes garages and unheated areas of the home.

• If you haven't already done so, remove all garden hoses from hose bibs and cover the bibs with Styrofoam hose bib insulating caps.

According to the DWM, use a hair dryer or heating pad on pipes if they do freeze.

"Act now to make sure pipes in homes are properly insulated and not exposed to freezing air," a DWM spokesperson stated in a press release.