That popping noise you heard early Sunday morning was the sound of bursting water pipes.
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“We first started getting calls at about 1 a.m. Sunday. People were reporting that they couldn’t get water out of their faucets. The cold had caused the water to freeze in the exposed pipes around the home or business.
“Once the sun came out and started to warm up the pipes, they began to burst because of the water pressure. We received 35 calls of burst pipes and flooding and the Water Department spend 24 hours resolving the issue over the weekend,” Ortiz said.
He urged residents to insulate exposed pipes to prevent the problem from occurring, or to leave a little water running in a kitchen or bathroom sink to keep water running through the pipes to keep it from freezing.
Just The Facts
Preventing Frozen Pipes
√ Drain water from cooler and water sprinkler supply lines following manufacturer's or installer's directions. Do not put antifreeze in these lines unless directed. Antifreeze is environmentally harmful, and is dangerous to humans, pets, wildlife and landscaping.
√ Remove, drain and store hoses used outdoors. Close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs. Open the outside hose bibs to allow water to drain. Keep the outside valve open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without cause the pipe to break.
√ Consider installing specific products made to insulate water pipes like a "pipe sleeve" or installing UL-listed "heat tape," "heat cable" or similar materials on exposed water pipes.
Many products are available at your local building supplies retailer. Pipes should be carefully wrapped, with ends butted tightly and joints wrapped with tape. Follow manufacturer's recommendations for installing and using these products. Newspaper can provide some degree of insulation and protection to exposed pipes—even ?" of newspaper can provide significant protection in areas that usually do not have frequent or prolonged temperatures below freezing.
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