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With temperatures expected to drop well below freezing this week, homeowners and business owners may want to take a few precautions to keep their pipes from freezing. 

Certain areas of your home or building may be more prone to freezing, including crawl spaces, unheated rooms, basements, garages and exterior walls. If you have water pipes in these cold spaces, you should consider adding insulation or heat tape to the pipes. 

Blocking off drafts and plugging holes around doors and windows can keep your pipes from freezing. It will also reduce your winter heating costs. 

If pipes are in a cabinet or vanity, open the doors to let the warmer air circulate. You should also consider allowing a small trickle of water to run. Keep your home or building above 55 degrees to prevent frozen pipes.

Insurance often does not cover the costs of flooding from a burst water pipe, so a little prevention can help save you from a major expense and clean-up.

If your pipes freeze, you should immediately turn off the water. Do not attempt to thaw your pipes with the water still running.

Using a hair dryer or space heater is effective at thawing frozen pipes, but do not leave heaters unattended. Avoid using any kind of open flame.

Once your pipes have thawed, slowly turn the water back on and check for leaks.