LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When temperatures drop, it’s best to take precautions to protect your pipes from freezing.

Before the cold weather sets in, make sure you know how to shut off your water. 

If your sink is on an exterior facing wall, Master Plumber Lauren Nielson, with Tom Drexler Plumbing, recommends opening the cabinet doors. This will help keeps the pipes warm.

She says when the weather is extremely cold, you should try to keep the flow of water moving. You can do this by leaving the faucet on. Not all the way, just a trickle.

Paying a few extra dollars a month for water is a lot less than paying for a pipe repair.

 “Maybe the most important for people that have crawl spaces on their home. We want to make sure that any of these entrances or windows are clocked off. Those cold gusts can come through and really freeze those pipes quickly. So anything that you can do to clock off those entrances or windows is going to be very helpful for you,” said Nielsen. 

If your pipes do freeze, shut off your water. If one bursts, call a plumber right away. Don’t forget the same rules apply to bathroom sinks as well.