Missouri American Water Encourages Customers to Take Steps to Protect Water Pipes

With snow and winter storms in the forecast, Missouri American Water is advising homeowners to make sure their homes are prepared for winter weather. The company is providing tips to prevent frozen pipes.

Property owners in St. Louis are responsible for maintenance of the water service line running from the water main to the house, as well as any in-home piping, while in other parts of the state, the company owns the service line. Missouri American Water encourages residents to take the following precautions to reduce the risk of freezing and bursting pipes.

Before frigid weather sets in:

  • Know the location of your main water shut-off valve. If a pipe freezes, shut the water off.
  • Protect your pipes and water meter. Wrap exposed pipes with insulation.
  • Know which areas in your home, such as basements, crawl spaces, unheated rooms and outside walls, are most vulnerable to freezing.
  • Eliminate cold air sources near water lines by repairing broken windows, insulating walls, closing off crawl spaces and eliminating drafts near doors.

When temperatures are consistently at or below freezing:

  • Allow a small trickle of water from both your cold and hot water faucets to run overnight to keep pipes and meters from freezing. The cost of the extra water is low compared to the cost to repair a broken pipe. Customers should implement wise water use practices and collect the running water for later use.
  • Open cabinet doors to expose pipes to warmer room temperatures to help keep them from freezing, although be careful to not create a tripping hazard.

Missouri American Water

Missouri American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.5 million people.

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,900 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 46 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.