Prepare Your Home for Freezing Temperatures

Helpful tips to keep your home or business safe in freezing temperatures:

• Double-check outdoor hose bibs to make sure all hoses are disconnected and faucets are turned off and drained.
• Make sure your basement is properly insulated and check for areas where cold air may be rushing in.
• Use pipe wrap to insulate pipes in unheated areas like basements, garages, and attics.
• Leave some heat on in unused areas of your home or business.
• If you leave home for a few days, keep your thermostat set to at least 65 degrees and open any cabinets where sink plumbing is against an outside wall.
• Never try to thaw a frozen pipe with an open flame! Call a plumber immediately if you think you have frozen pipes.
• Make sure your furnace vents are clear of snow and ice. A clogged furnace vent can cause a backup of toxic carbon monoxide in your home.
• Find the master shut off valve that turns the off water to your entire home – it’s usually in the basement – and make sure everyone in the household knows where it is located in case a pipe does freeze and burst.
• If a pipe bursts and you cannot shut off your water, immediately contact Madison Water Utility’s emergency hotline at 608-266‑4661.

Help Madison firefighters by clearing snow from fire hydrants:

Madison Water Utility cares for the city’s 9,000+ fire hydrants. If a hydrant is lost or buried in snow, firefighters can lose valuable time trying to locate it when they first arrive at a fire. Please help keep this critical part of our water system ready by clearing snow from the hydrants near your home or business.