(01/05/17) BATON ROUGE, La. – Temperatures are expected to dip into the 20s this weekend. LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel said a hard freeze could present problems for those still in the process of rebuilding their flooded homes.

Reichel said businesses and homeowners should take precautions now to keep the upcoming cold weather from causing more damage and health hazards.

“This is especially important for gutted buildings not yet reinsulated and without a working heating system,” Reichel said.

Reichel recommends protecting a flooded home and health with these measures:

Avoid a frozen pipe crisis. When water freezes, it expands and can split pipes or their seals, sending more water pouring through a home.

– Insulate all water pipes that could be exposed to freezing temperatures with foam pipe tubing. If a home is not insulated and heated, that includes inside as well as outside pipes. Also insulate exposed faucets with foam covers or wrap them with bubble wrap. Make sure all surfaces are covered.

– Pipe insulation only slows down the freezing process, so it might not be enough during a long deep freeze. That’s why it’s best to also install pressure relief valves on outdoor faucets to prevent bursting if pipes still freeze.

– Consider turning off the water at the main shut-off valve and run faucets to drain the pipes. Make sure the faucets are turned off before you turn the shut-off valve back on. If you drain the pipes, turn off the water heater or contact the electric or gas utility for instructions on protecting the water heater.

– When a severe freeze is expected, let faucets run at a slow trickle, but don’t run a big stream of water. Too many running faucets can lead to drops in community water pressure and problems for fire-fighting emergencies.

– Be sure everyone in the household knows where the main water shut-off valve is and check it to make sure it isn’t stuck.

Plan for a back-up heat source if the main heating system is not fully operable.

– If using a fireplace or wood stove, test it in advance to make sure it exhausts to the outdoors without backdrafting smoke and combustion pollutants indoors. It needs a source of combustion air. Newer units may have a combustion air duct, which is best. If any backdrafting occurs, crack open a nearby window.

– If a chimney has not been cleaned in a long time, cleaning is important to remove soot build-up that can lead to a chimney fire.

– Keep in mind that a fireplace provides radiant heat – the kind you feel from the fire and hot masonry – that warms objects and people near it, but it actually creates cold drafts. Air exhausted up the chimney creates a suction, pulling cold air into the building.

– Avoid using portable kerosene heaters or other unvented combustion heaters, and never use them overnight while sleeping. If used while working on the house, keep a window cracked open on both sides of the room to provide ample air exchange.

– Never use a gas range, charcoal grill or electric generator for heat indoors. That can cause a build-up of deadly carbon monoxide.

– Keep a carbon monoxide (CO) monitor or alarm in sleeping areas and work areas. Use the type with a continuous digital readout to monitor changes in CO levels. Even low levels of CO that don’t trigger the alarm are unhealthy and can mimic flu symptoms or pose hazards for people with heart conditions.

– Test the smoke alarm to be sure it’s working.

Expect moisture condensation on cold materials. Without heat and insulation, indoor materials and building cavities may get cold enough to become wet by condensation – like the sweating of a glass of ice water. This could rewet materials enough to require re-drying.

– Running electric heaters or vented gas heaters will lower the relative humidity and help prevent condensation or dry out wet materials.

– Once the weather becomes too warm to use a heater, consider using a dehumidifier for re-drying.

– Draping sheets or blankets on furniture in unheated spaces may help reduce wetting from condensation.

See and learn more about restoring a flooded home and ways to improve its durability, energy efficiency, safety, comfort and convenience online at www.LSUAgCenter.com/LaHouse or visit LaHouse Resource Center, an educational, high-performance housing exhibit located at 2858 Gourrier Ave. across from the LSU Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.

A gutted home in Baton Rouge that flooded in August awaits repairs. LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel says gutted homes are vulnerable to hard freezes. Photo by Randy LaBauve