Plumbing
- Insulate all pipes located in unheated areas, such as the garage and garden areas. Inexpensive foam insulation is available at most home-improvement centers.
- Disconnect outside hoses, wrap faucets and cover them with plastic or faucet covers.
- Cover crawl space vents when temperatures dip to 20 or below. Remember to uncover vents when the weather warms up.
- At 20 degrees or less, turn on a small but steady stream of cold water at the inside faucet farthest from the water meter.
- If your pipes freeze and you know where the frozen spot is, wrap the pipe with warm towels, or call a professional service to assist you.
- Never use a flame or hair dryer to thaw frozen pipes.
- If your pipes break, shut off your water at the main water valve and contact a professional plumber
Pool
- In some areas it is necessary to winterize your swimming pool, contact a professional if you are unsure how to properly winterize your swimming pool
- In areas where winterizing is not necessary run the equipment 12:00 Midnight to 6:00 AM or 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM when a freeze warning is in affect
Yard
- Some of the most common frost-sensitive plants in the Phoenix area are
- Bougainvillea
- Hibiscus
- Natal Plum
- Cape Honeysuckle
- Red Bird of Paradise.
- To protect plants and trees from frost damage, they need to be covered. Use sheets, light blankets or burlap. Hardware stores sell large sheets of light, porous cloth for this purpose.
- Do not use plastic to cover your plants. That traps the moisture under the tarp and damages the plant.
- The best way to cover a plant or tree is to make sure that your cover touches the ground. This helps to retain all the warmth under the cloth.
- If frost gets to your plant, don’t remove the damaged parts. They might not look great for a couple of months, but those dead branches and leaves provide protection for the part of the plant that is still alive. Prune frost damaged plants in the spring.