Winter weather STILL bursting BG water lines

BGMU: Prevent pipe freeze & repair fees!

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Tuesday, News 40 brought you real-time coverage of Bowling Green’s active water line breaks.

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities reported freezing water and ground shift have burst dozens of water pipelines… and that more damage is yet to come.

A water line break can put you out thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars in repairs.

BGMU Water/Wastewater Manager Mike Gardner said, “If you have a water line break inside the house, that can damage floors or walls, belongings, furniture, etcetera. So, that can get quite expensive.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, BGMU has repaired roughly 15 pipe bursts since Christmas morning, and they’re expecting more calls to come with the thaw.

“Pipes don’t last forever, particularly the ones buried out here in the ground,” warned Gardner. “We have many older sections in town with some old service lines. Those are particularly susceptible to leakage and breaking.”

To prevent waterline damage, you can run a stream of water, about the size of a pencil lead.

Open kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets to let heat in.

If you have a crawlspace, cover up your vents to prevent cold air from freezing your pipes.

Gardner ads, “You might consider putting a little heater down there if it gets really cold as well.”

If you know your crawlspace or basement is in for a cold winter, you can buy foam or wrap insulators to cover up your pipes.

“All of those measures will help to prevent freezing and prevent damage to your water lines.”

Also, if you own rental property or plan to skip town during the cold spell, Gardner encourages you, “Send somebody that you trust to go in and make sure they’re not having any problems because that can be a very difficult situation when folks get back home and find that water’s been flowing there for some period of time.”

Still have concerns? “Contact your plumber. They can do a little inspection there as well,” advised Gardner.