TANNERSVILLE, Pa. — The shelves are stocked with winter essentials at Steele's Ace Hardware in Monroe County, everything from insulation to pipe heaters. It's all to help protect and prevent pipes from bursting.
Store manager Steve Marchand says the rush to pick up these items started Monday.
"They should already have this stuff on. A lot of people Don't. We got a whole wall of dethawing and pipe-freezing apparatus. We also ran a machine that will dethaw a copper pipe, a metal pipe," Marchand said.
Susan Turcmanovich with Pennsylvania American Water says it's the first time in a while we've seen sub-freezing temperatures.
"This is the first big freeze that we've had for this season, and I think a lot of people, because of the milder temperatures, they just forget the havoc that frozen pipes can cause, and they forget those areas of their home where they experienced that," Turcmanovich said.
Marchand says using something as simple as pipe insulation will save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
"It slips right around the pipe, and it'll protect those pipes from the cold weather. They can also keep a trickle of water running throughout the night. That water moving through the pipes, that will prevent it from freezing."
If you realize your pipes are frozen, Turcmanovich advises you to shut off the water.
"You can thaw your pipes, but don't use an open flame. Put a space heater in that area. Use a hair dryer. Do it safely."
Once your pipes are thawed, you can go back to the water shut-off and open it slowly because you want to make sure the pipe is not cracked.
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