Illinois Ranks #1 In U.S. For Frozen Pipe Damage

It's about to get really, really cold around here. 

Here are the overnight lows for the next few days:

• Friday - 2
• Saturday - -9
• Sunday - -1
• Monday - -6
• Tuesday - -8
• Wednesday - 1
• Thursday - -8
• Friday 2/12 - -11
• Saturday 2/13 - -10
• Sunday 2/14 - 0

That's 8 out of the next 10 days that we are supposed to dip below zero overnight. It might cause you some problems around the house.

This information comes from our friends at State Farm.

According to them, Illinois saw the most household frozen pipe damage of any state in 2020, with more than $7.2 million in damage claims. The average claim was nearly $15,000.

Some tips from State Farm:

• Insulate exposed water pipes, such as those in crawl spaces, basements, or near outside walls.
• Let the hot and cold faucets drip overnight and open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks on exterior walls.
• Seal cracks and gaps that could allow cold air inside with insulation or caulk. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents, and doors and windows that are near pipes.
• Keep your thermostat set above 55 degrees both day and night.

Here's a short video to help:

A frozen pipe can spray more than 250 gallons of water a day. You defintely do not want to deal with any of that over the next few days. It would be worth it to check some of these things out before you're making a call to your insurance agency with ruined floors.

One other tip about your home and cold weather.

We received a call from Rodney at Gilley's Heating and Air this morning. He wanted to remind everyone that if you have a high-efficiency heater at home, you should check out the PVC pipe that extends outside your home. He said that with the abundance of blowing snow that a lot of times that exhaust pipe gets blocked. If that pipe is blocked, your heater will not work.

This stretch of weather over the next two weeks is going to be brutal. Good luck!