Winterizing Tips
Preparation can prevent freezing and broken pipes at your property during winter weather. There have been instances where homeowners have returned from vacations or a neighbor has reported water leaking from a property and much water has been wasted as well property damage. PAWSD would like to suggest some of the following tips in hopes of helping you become better prepared when your property is vacant for a period of time.
- Identify shut-off valve locations for your property before freezing weather arrives.
- Keep your meter area accessible by clearing snow away during the winter months.
Leaving the area?The District strongly recommends that residents planning on leaving the area for an extended period should have their water turned off at the meter pit. Turning the water off at the pit may avoid an overage, should a leak develop between the meter and the home. PAWSD personnel are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There is no charge for turning the meter on or off during the hours of 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. However, a fee will be assessed when PAWSD services are requested after regular hours.
If you have in-floor or water based heating, you may not be able to have your water turned off at the meter pit. We recommend you contact a plumber for your winterizing options.
Outside- Caulk around pipes where they enter the house.
- If you have a shut-off valve for outside faucets, shut it off and drain it for the winter.
- Wrap outside faucets with insulation if they aren’t drained.
- Disconnect garden hoses and drain in-ground irrigation systems according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Inside- Insulate pipes in unheated areas like crawl spaces, attic, or basement. Use insulating tape or molded pipe sleeves.
- When weather is below freezing, open cupboard doors in the bathrooms and kitchen so pipes get more heat.
- Leave your furnace on a low setting while you’re gone.
- When gone for extended periods, winterize your sewer system too by
putting non-toxic antifreeze (used in boats and RVs) in the toilet
bowls and sink traps to prevent freezing.
Keep Those Meter Lids Clear!
Your water meter lid - that round, metal lawn ornament that may be at the base of a redwood post- MUST be kept clear!
Please ensure your lid is exposed and entirely visible, free of landscaping, boulders, vehicles, debris and in the winter, snow.
Landscaping "Dos" (above) and "Don'ts" (below)
Is there meter under here?
It is important for PAWSD technicians to have easy access to the meter pit for several reasons:
- Meters are now read remotely by a radio signal; covering a lid will result in blocking the signal.
- Immediate water shut-off may be required if you have a leak.
- Water shut-off may be required for other reasons, such as the sale of the home or business.
- Periodic meter inspection and calibration is conducted to ensure accuracy.
Customers may be billed for any PAWSD technician time and equipment required to clear a meter lid.
Entombed! This lid was unearthed from under a foot of soil.
Down the Toilet
You may have heard that phrase before. "That was just like flushing money down the toilet"! Well, when it comes to saving money and water, PAWSD customers are doing just the opposite. By retrofitting older water hungry toilets with new qualifying units, you can get a rebate on the purchase of the new fixture, the water bill can go down, and best of all you are conserving water which is good for everyone.
The goal of the PAWSD Toilet Rebate Program is to replace older, high-volume (3.5 to 7.0 gallons per flush—gpf) toilets with newer, low-volume fixtures using 1.6 gpf or less. The amount of water wasted with high-volume fixtures was recognized and addressed on a national level in the 1992 Energy Policy Act (EPAct). The EPAct established maximum allowable water-flow rates for toilets, urinals, showerheads, and faucets manufactured and sold after January 1, 1994. If your property was built prior to 1994 and the water fixtures have not been replaced, chances are you may have higher-volume units.
The PAWSD Toilet Rebate Program enables property owners to replace up to two high-volume fixtures with the assistance of a $75 or $125 rebate credit that will be applied directly to the PAWSD account where the fixture(s) are being replaced. The $75 rebate applies to low-volume fixtures that cost $100 or more for the tank and bowl. The $125 rebate applies to higher cost dual flush, flapperless, and power flush fixtures.
Click here to see how you can utilize the program.
