TIP: When it’s too late to insulate, try these 5 tricks to avoid frozen pipes

1. Use the hair dryer. Freezing pipes can be warmed by moving a hair dryer across the pipe, but be careful to not hold the nozzle in one place
for long.

2. Open your closet. Some water pipes may be located in the wall behind a closet. By opening the door and taking things out of the closet, you allow heat from the living areas to penetrate the wall and reach the pipes.

3. Open cabinet doors. This lets warm air circulate to the water lines under the faucet.

4. Shut off the water. If there is no heat due to a power outage, shut off the supply line. If you’re traveling during the winter, even for a day or two, shut off the main.

5. Run the water. Periodically run the faucet and flush the toilets, as this moves standing water in both the inbound and outbound pipes. Don’t forget you may need to get up and do this in the middle of the night as well. And because moving water is less likely to freeze, you can let the water run just a trickle at all times