Q – We had frozen pipes in our house last winter and don't really care to go through that again. Anything we can do now, in October, to avoid that hassle again later?

Jackson in Acworth

A – Wow – good call.

If you want to avoid frozen pipes in the future it is great to planning now.

Once your pipes are frozen is a lousy time to think insulation and shutting off faucets so here are some things to do now. Today. Saturday at the latest…

• Water pipes in the crawlspace should be wrapped with foam insulation. Good news, this foam insulation can be found at most hardware stores and is very inexpensive. Better news – you can install it yourself with a measuring device and scissors. Best news – you can teach your kids how to do it so they can crawl around in your crawlspace.

The crawlspace isn’t the only place to wrap the pipes. You may have your water heater in the garage – wrap those pipes too.

• If you have exposed spots in the crawlspace or attic that you know are vulnerable to freezing weather in the winter (i.e. maybe pipes have been frozen there before), wrap some heat tape around the pipes. Heat tape runs on electricity heating up the places that are wrapped.You need to purchase the tape at the hardware store (so you need to measure), and it is best to have a dedicated outlet to plug the tape into – your favorite electrician can help you with that (should be a GFCI outlet).

The tape isn’t hot all the time. It runs off of its own thermostat. Great stuff!

• Remove the hoses and shut-off the outside faucets. You will hear to drain the hoses and not disconnect them, but go ahead and disconnect them. You will find the shut-off valve for the outside spigots near the spigots. Sometimes they are covered in a wall. If that is the case you need to make a work opening in the wall so you can get to the turn-off valves easier.

• Stay vigilant during cold weather. Drip your faucets, both hot and cold water side when temps are below freezing over a two/three day period, especially if the wind is howling. Leave the doors open under the sinks especially on outside walls to allow heat from the house to help keep them warm.

Weather cold enough to freeze pipes rarely just sneaks up on us. Pay attention.

Quick note – if you do find that your pipes are frozen and cracked shut off the water to your house, and call a plumber immediately. Yes they will all be busy, but get on the list. Do not try to thaw the frozen area. That may be all that is keeping water from leaking out of a crack.

Good luck!