AUGUSTA, Ga. ()- It’s been a historic month for Augusta—our VIPIR-6 Alert Team is expecting a second round of snow in the coming days.

No matter if you get snow or not, the one guarantee is that it’s going to be very cold across the two state this week.

Experts warn that one of the most important things you can do is protect your pipes.

Meetze Plumbing Service Manager Mitch Buzhardt says this is one of their busiest times of the year.

“Whenever we have an event like this, it really is all hands-on deck. We’ve instructed all of our guys that they need to be ready to hit the road. Make sure their trucks are well stocked with fuel, supplies, pipes, fittings, things like that,” said Buzhardt.

He says one of your first priorities should be knowing where your emergency shutoff valve is, that way you can turn the water off in case of an emergency. 

“If you’re unsure where it is, you can call a plumber to see if they can locate it or install one for you. With city water, you also have the option of turning it off at the meter. If you’re on well water, you can also turn the power off to the well vault,” Buzhardt said.

He also recommends dripping your indoor faucets at night with hot and cold water, because there are potential consequences if you don’t. 

“It just makes it a lot easier for the freezing to start taking place, and once it starts there’s not much you can do to stop it until it thaws. Worst case scenario, you would be looking at busted water lines—best case scenario, you would just be looking at not having any water until it thaws out,” he added.

Outside the home, Buzhardt says to make sure any hoses are not attached to faucets, and to cover those faucets with the right equipment. 

“They sell little Styrofoam covers with insulation on the inside from Lowes or Home Depot—-any kind of hardware store, those are great to put on your outdoor faucet,” said Buzhardt. “If you’re unable to find them, you can take towels and wrap them around. Put some duct tape or rope around it to keep the towel on there. Anything you can do just to not have the wind chill directly on it, and increase the temperature a little bit.”

In the case that a pipe bursts, experts say you need to turn off the water, ensuring you know where your emergency shutoff valve is.

Many homeowners also have water heaters in their attics, and Buzhardt has words of precaution for that area of the house to.

“Inside the attic, you want to make sure that you have good insulation. Make sure you close any doors or windows leading to the outside.”

He also has advice on space heaters in your home.

“If you do have a small electric space heater that’s not close to anything, you can feel free to put it inside there to keep those pipes a little warmer. However, you want to make sure that we’re not running any kind of gas appliances inside the house for heat. If you have a water heater, make sure the water lines are also insulated–that’s a big thing for spaces like the attic,” said Buzhardt.

On top of dripping your faucets, he also recommends opening your kitchen cabinets, that way heat inside the home can warm pipes under your sink.

Buzhardt also says you should keep your thermostat at a higher temperature than you normally would, and if you have a crawl space to keep outside vents closed.