Weather experts are urging residents to take precautions to prevent burst water pipes during frigid temperatures.
People should insulate outdoor faucets and pipes in unheated areas -- like the garage or crawl space.
Kyle Saunders is with the city of Rockford. He says people should run a constant drip of cold water in a faucet farthest from the meter.
Saunders also recommends keeping cupboard doors open when temperatures drop.
“Latent heat from your house can get into those pipes and keep them warm," he said. "That’s another really good solution to prevent freezing from occurring.”
Saunders says common household items, like hair dryers or a closely monitored heat lamp, can be used to slowly defrost frozen pipes.
“There’s a reaction when water freezes and thaws, so you want to be careful to make sure you’re taking your time thawing and that you’re slowly opening valves and faucets," he said.
If pipes do break, Saunders says to shut off water and turn off the circuit breaker immediately.