Apartment living comes with perks, but during a hard freeze, you are at the mercy of your neighbors and the building’s infrastructure.
While you can’t control the power grid, you can avoid these five common mistakes that lead to disaster.
Mistake No. 1: Turning off the heat when leaving
Many renters try to save money by turning off the thermostat when they evacuate. Don’t do this. If the temperature inside drops too low, pipes in shared walls will freeze and burst. Keep the heat on at least 55 degrees.
Mistake No. 2: Only dripping cold water
When you set your faucets to drip, ensure that you engage both the hot and cold lines (or a combination of both). Hot water pipes can freeze just as easily as cold ones if the water isn’t moving.
Mistake No. 3: Ignoring the balcony
If you have a patio with an outdoor storage closet that houses your water heater, make sure that the door is tightly closed tight. If you have any plants on the balcony, bring them inside—apartments at higher elevations can experience colder wind chills.
Mistake No. 4: Forgetting the washer
If your washer is located on an exterior wall, consider running a short cycle or adding antifreeze to the drain if you anticipate losing power for an extended period (check with your maintenance team first).
Mistake No. 5: Walking on the breezeways
In open-air apartment complexes, concrete stairs and breezeways ice over faster than roads. Use extreme caution when walking outside, as black ice is common on second and third-floor walkways.