Preparing your home's pipes for colder temperatures

TULSA - You've probably heard to let your sink drip if temperatures hit the freezing point, but experts say it's best to keep your water at a steady stream. 

Simple tips like this can keep your home protected from water damage through the winter.

Mark Wayne Mullin, owner of Mullin Plumbing, took 2News inside a home in Sapulpa to show us more ideas. 

He says crawl spaces are more likely to freeze than slab foundations.

"It has to get extremely cold and a deep freeze for pipes that are buried in the ground to freeze.  But crawl space homes, if wind chills are allowed to go through the house, it'll freeze the pipes that are exposed the fastest," said Mullin.

He suggests closing your vents, and don't forget the laundry room. Mullin says to move the washer and dryer away from walls to allow heat to get behind them. 

Next, head outside and disconnect your water hose. Otherwise, it could freeze. 

If your water bill seems high, you can check to see if you have a leak by checking your water meter. 

Mullin said, "If all the water is shut off in your house, and that dial's moving, that means you've got a ground leak someplace."

This winter, plumbers aren't the only ones staying busy. City crews have repaired a record number of water lines across Tulsa this year. 

Bob Bledsoe with Tulsa Public Works said, "Because of the extreme cold weather we had last winter, and the extreme hot, dry weather we had this summer, we're about 60 percent above the normal in the number of breaks we had this year."

There have been nearly 1,600 water line breaks so far.

"There's not much we can do. The water lines are buried, and we just have to hope that they're buried deep enough that the soil movement doesn't affect them.  But it still does occasionally," Bledsoe said.

Here are some more tips to prevent pipe freezing:

-Make sure to run a steady stream of water out of your faucet overnight if temperatures dip below zero. A dripping faucet has potential to freeze. Mullin recommends running both hot and cold water at the same time.

-If you have plumbing in any outside walls, make sure to open up your cabinets. This will allow heat to travel underneath the pipes.

-Move washers and dryers a few inches away from the walls. This will allow the pipes in the walls to warm up.

-Fill any cracks outside near your hoses with expandable foam. And make sure your garden hose isn't connected to the house.