Fond du Lac Water Utility Department gives advice to keep pipes from freezing during artic cold spell

It’s quite likely the coldest night we’ll see this winter and the National Weather service has placed Fond du Lac County and all of Wisconsin under our first Extreme Cold Warning since the warning was created this year, replacing wind chill warnings.

An extreme cold warning is issued when wind chills are forecasted to be -25 or colder for 3 or more hours in a row. As of 6 AM Tuesday morning, January 21, 2025, the windchill has been at or below -25 for 7 consecutive hours at the Fond du Lac County Airport.

The National Weather Service says wind chills this low can cause frost bite to exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.

As a result, many local school districts have called off classes for today and after school activities.

The City of Fond du Lac Water Utility Department is encouraging customers to protect water pipes in their homes and businesses from breaking or freezing by taking some simple precautions.

Assure basement area temperatures are above freezing.
Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas.
Use heat tape on pipes in crawl spaces and other unheated areas.
Open cabinets and closets that contain water lines to allow circulation of warm air.
And know where the master shutoff valve is, so water can be turned off if a leak occurs.

The department says it’s the home owners responsibility to keeps pipes warm and protect water meters from freezing. They also say if you suspect water in a pipe is frozen, to use a blow dryer or electric heating pad to thaw it and to never use a torch or any sort of an open flame.