LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — How will you be prepping for winter weather this year?
As it finally starts to feel like fall, experts have offered tips on what you can do to prepare for colder temperatures.
"If you wait to the last minutes, there's things you're going to forget and you're going to scramble around and it's going to be kind of too late," said Thomas Carter with Precision Heating, Air and Plumbing.
According to Carter, you don't want to be that person.
"Go disconnect the hoses. If you leave them hooked up, that traps water in there, and that'll cause that to freeze right off the bat," Carter described.
He added that styrofoam faucet covers can be a big help, and you can get them at a hardware store for as little as $4.
Carter said that it's also helpful to know where your water shut-off valves are and how to use them.
"If you have a frozen pipe and suddenly, the temperature warms back up and it ruptures, you need to know how to turn that off," Carter explained.
He said to think of it as preventative maintenance— it could be the difference between a small repair bill and a huge remodel.
As far as your outdoor pipes, insulation is very important when dealing with colder temperatures.
"Insulation just holds heat and that's all it does. It doesn't generate heat. In a crawlspace, that may hold a little bit of residual heat inside the pipe," Carter said.
As we approach those colder temperatures, those trying to save money might think to switch their heat off, but Carter said that's not a good idea.
It's important to leave it on to protect things like the pipes in your kitchen and bathroom.
"Even if you leave it set at like 65 or 60 [degrees], it's still better than not having any heat at all," he added.
Keeping the cabinets around your sinks open can also help. The heat could give your pipes an extra layer of protection.
Finally, we've all heard that in freezing weather, leave your faucets dripping.
"Dripping is not the answer. You've got to leave the faucet running a little stream, probably about the size of the end of a ballpoint pen," Carter said.
If you have a sprinkler system, he said to make sure that you not only disconnect the backflow, or RPZ valve, but also be sure to open every valve.
Additionally, turn them upside and make sure the water is out before storing them in a warm place.
Arkansas offers a weatherization assistance program, which you can learn more about here.