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Hello Everyone,

Another Arctic Blast is heading for Charleston. The storm from a couple of weeks ago did slow things down here in the greater Charleston area, but everyone managed to get through it. Though there were some hiccups with the bridges and roadways, I believe that the South Carolina Department of Transportation did a great job of keeps the roads safe. I see what happened in Atlanta, GA, and I was very thankful that we didn’t have to go through that.

The weather guru’s are saying that an ice storm warning remains in effect from midnight tonight to 10am EST Thursday. It looks like the main problem that we are going to have, is the ice that is going to form because of all the rain.  The forecasts that I have seen are saying the the ice could be between 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick.  This is especially dangerous on the roads and bridges.

So this is going to be a repeat of what was mentioned in the posts before that storm.  Be sure to “BE PREPARED”… you know… the Boy Scout’s Motto!  

Here is a quick list of things to check…

1. Insulate all water pipes from cold moving air and keep them dry.
2.  Use either heater tapes wrapped around the pipes or a heated reflector lamp in a dry enclosed space.
3.  If electric power is unavailable or is lost, let the water run no faster than a slow constant drip; this is cheaper than repairing it.
4.  Remember to insulate and heat the drain lines in crawl spaces and cold basements.
5.  To thaw a frozen pipe, first check the pipe in the area of the freeze.
6.  It is far better to heat the area around the frozen part with an electric space heater, a hand-held hair dryer, or a heat lamp in a reflector to prevent a fire.
7.  Always disconnect your water hose from your outdoor spigot in the winter, or before the temperature in your area drops below freezing.
8.  Use a temperature-controlled thermal convection powered hot water recirculation valve (which does not require electricity to operate) to continuously circulate warm water throughout your hot and cold waterlines anytime the temperature is below the user chosen set point 77F-140F.
9.  Use a product called ICE LOC which prevents pipes from rupturing by taking up the expansion of the frozen water.
10.  Use a RedyTemp, a device which utilizes an internal water contacting temperature probe to monitor the temperature of the water inside the pipes.

(8, 9 and 10 are overkill for the Charleston SC area, but you get the idea)

As always, if you have problems with your heating, or plumbing, feel free to contact Arctic Air at 843-821-0937 or submit a service request online. We offer 24/7 Emergency Service!