Winter tips from El Paso Water Utilities

AVOID FROZEN PIPES

Insulate exposed pipes and faucets outside and around your home, including those in unheated areas like basements, garages, attics or crawl-spaces. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Remove harmful chemicals from the reach of children and pets during these times. In severe cold, let cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes. Running a drip of water through the pipes helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water is above freezing. If a pipe does break on your property, EPWU encourages you to immediately turn off your water at the meter to avoid further damage and avoid water waste. And if you are taking a vacation or away for several days, turn off your water at the meter in case of any damage done while away or think of someone who can monitor your home in your absence.

KEEPING PIPES HEALTHY

When preparing those holiday dinners and treats, oils from cooking can build up in pipes over time if thrown down the drain. This can also cause sewer line blockages and untreated sanitary waste to overflow from manholes onto streets. So stay clear of FOG (fats, oils and grease) by:

Wiping oil and food scraps from plates, pots and pans into the garbage can before washing them. Use strainers in sink drains and place the contents into the garbage can. Never pour oil or grease into sink drains or toilets. Put used cooking oil in a sealed container and place the container in the garbage can.

WATER CONSERVATION

Don’t water plants that don’t need it. Many of the plants around El Paso lose their leaves for the winter; warm season grasses turn yellow. Once plants go dormant, they won’t need water again until spring. El Paso’s even/odd water schedule remains in effect year-round. While residential watering is prohibited on Mondays, homes with even-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; odd-numbered addresses on Wednesday , Friday and Sunday . Evergreen trees and shrubs still require regular watering, even during winter months. In cold weather, they can be watered once every two weeks. Don’t forget to change automatic sprinkler times. If you don’t update their settings, you could be watering plants that don’t need to be watered.

Courtesy: El Paso Water Utilities