My (Very) Cold Weather Preparation Checklist

Vol 21.

It’s going to be a little chilly in the northeast this weekend. I live in Montana and deal with these kinds of temps, and windchills regularly. Just gonna do a knowledge dump here so you work through all this as fast as possible. Not going to prescribe many products, since it’s probably too late to order anything. 

House

• Open any cabinets or closets that have pipes in them so heat can get inside.

• Disconnect and drain any garden hoses.

• If you have the right setup, shut off valves to outside faucets (or those in a non-heated garage), then open those faucets to let them drain. Leave open. 

• Drip your interior faucets.

• Locate (and label!) the main water shutoff valve to your house. If pipes freeze, close this valve immediately, and open all faucets. That should avoid cracked pipes. If you need to leave a property unsupervised through extreme cold, do this before it gets that cold. 

• Towels, blankets, pool noodles and similar can be used to eliminate drafts. You can even combine those! 

• Keep drapes …