Ocean City Fire Department talking tips to protect your home from frozen pipes

OCEAN CITY, Md. – The Ocean City Fire Department is offering helpful home maintenance tips, as cold temperatures arise. They are urging residents, business owners, and condo managers to prevent pipes from bursting.

Fire officials recommend keeping indoor areas at least 55 degrees. These pipes could be domestic water pipes or sprinkler pipes.

They advise to turn off the heat in the unit, because that’s one of the ways the pipes can freeze.

If one of the pipes breaks, you could cause many problems, like flooding or even a electrical hazard.

Officials say when you see the temps rise again, is when you notice the problem.

Ryan Whittington of the Fire Department says following these tips can prevent a disaster.

“Have your sprinkler system inspected by a licensed sprinkler contractor. Make sure the drain valves are drained and there is no water condensation in those lines. If the water condensation freezes, it can create the pipe to essentially burst.”

These are ways to keep your house safe from a water emergency.

Whittington also recommends to have a working smoke alarm in the home. He adds that early activation could alert the Fire Department, or neighbors, which could save lives.