A busted pipe can throw a wrench in your winter budget. However, a few simple preventative action steps can save you a big headache come winter weather:

• Trickle – to flow or fall by drops, or in a small, gentle stream
> Keeping even just a slight flow through your exposed pipes will help to prevent freezing.
• 55° – the magic #
> If you are leaving town or have vacant space, your thermostat should be set no lower than 55°.
• Warm up the garage
> A legion of supply lines can often be found in a garage. Make sure your garage doors stay closed and put to use any heating elements you have at your disposal.
• Insulation is your friend
> Make it plentiful in your attic, basement and crawl spaces where you have exposed pipes.

Say it’s too late; you’re home from vacation and found your living room is an ice skating rink. While your kids are now reenacting scenes from the movie Frozen, here are some tips on defrosting the situation:

• If it’s as bad as described above, call an Emergency Restoration Company like Servpro.
• Warm it up! Apply heat to the frozen area via a portable heater or hair dryer until some flow is restored. Keep your faucets open while heating the frozen area.
• If a pipe has cracked or burst, call a licensed plumber.

If you want to avoid the hassle and worry of frozen pipes, be sure you have a property manager that takes preventative action.  We hope you stay warm and dry this winter as we battle record lows!