Weather Proof Your Home, Car

MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) Temperatures are expected to drop into 20s overnight. The harsh weather can certainly take a toll on homes and cars.

Joe Hopwood of Mr. Rooter spent the day visiting numerous homes to insulate pipes to prevent them from busting. Hopwood said homes with a crawl space and exposed pipes really need insulation.

The insulation pipe simply wraps around the pipe. Once you    ve placed it on the pipe, peel off the tape on the inside, and squeeze the pipe. Hopwood said the insulation pipes are available at local home improvement stores and only cost a few dollars. He believes it is money well spent.

   You can end up with busted pipes, damaged dry wall, [and] damaged wood,     said Hopwood.     [A] friend of mine had to replace a kitchen and a bathroom last year due to a frozen pipe.    

The next step is to disconnect the garden hose from the bibs or faucets outside your home.

   What this can do is trap water right here and cause this to freeze and bust,     said Hopwood.     It's no good."

He suggests you use a foam box to cover the faucet and let the faucets inside your home drip if they are on an exterior wall.

   We're very inexperienced with the cold cold weather,     said Trax Tires John Logan.

The cold weather can affect your car too.

   The washer bottle will need to be full of washer fluid,     said Logan.

Logan said it is important to avoid water in the cooling system or radiator. Instead, you can use antifreeze.

   We got a lot of busted impellers on water pumps last year when we had that freeze come through,     said Trax Tires Manager John Logan.     Water will freeze up and if you go to crank your car with frozen water inside the engine. It can just tear up all kinds of things.    

The cold air can also affect your tire pressure. Logan suggests you get nitrogen in your tires to stabilize the pressure.