With temperatures expected to dip below zero in some places around New England Thursday night into Friday, plumbers are offering residents tips so that their pipes don't freeze or burst.
Justin Riley of JPR Plumbing and Heating in Newton, Massachusetts, says he is expecting to start working around the clock with the cold front.
"The next 24 hours - it's going to ring off the hook," Riley said.
The number one thing Riley suggests is to keep the heat above 60 degrees inside your home.
“If you don't keep the heat up you have a chance of bursting pipes which you don't want to have happen, so people who typically keep their heat below 60 are going to have problems," said Riley.
Riley also suggests opening cabinet doors to allow heat inside and letting faucets drip.
"I would just open the doors, that would allow the heat to get in to the pipes," Riley told necn. "If you just leave it dripping, believe it or not, that will cause momentum and that should help the pipes not to freeze and burst."
U.S. & World
Hardware businesses are already seeing an influx of customers ahead of the cold snap with people buying plastics for windows and sealants among other items.
"We have a lot of people sealing up those drafts," said Leigh Zancewicz of Swartz Ace Hardware in Newton. "It's going to be twice as worse Friday when it actually happens when everyone comes in all at once trying to get everything."
Massachusetts Emergency Management said potential impacts from the cold could include frostbite and hypothermia, increases in fire from alternate heating like space heaters, along with carbon monoxide poisoning.
MEMA is advising people to dress warm, have a full tank of gas, to keep pets inside and to check on neighbors.
