Politics & Government

East Bay MUD Warns of Possible Frozen Pipes

Here are tips to keep your exposed water pipes from freezing – or to unfreeze them – when temperatures drop tonight and through the weekend, courtesy of the East Bay's water agency, the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

The East Bay's water agency issued a alert today, Thursday, about the risk of exposed water pipes freezing up in the cold weather forecast for tonight and through the weekend.

Here is the agency's advisory, along with tips on how to prevent pipes from freezing and how to unfreeze them if they do get plugged by ice:

The East Bay Municipal Utility District wants customers to be aware that cold temperatures forecast for the East Bay tonight and through the weekend can cause their water pipes to freeze. Plumbing exposed to the open air, such as a water line where it enters the building and irrigation valves, is the most vulnerable to freezing damage. The force of expansion can crack pipes or break joints.

EBMUD offers these tips:

If your pipes have frozen you may have only a trickle of water or no water at all.

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  • Do wrap the pipe in a towel and slowly pour warm (not boiling) water over it.
  • Never use a torch, heater or any open flame

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Prevent pipes from freezing

  • Don’t try to prevent freezing by opening a faucet to keep water moving. This wastes water.
  • Do wrap exposed plumbing with insulating material from your hardware or home improvement store.
  • Do protect automatic irrigation valves by shutting off the valve. Use your irrigation timer to turn on each valve for a minute to drain water from valves and pipes.
More information is available on the East Bay MUD website.


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