With extremely cold weather continuing today, it is important to stay vigilant on making sure certain areas of your home don’t freeze up.

Jefferson Fire Chief Jack Williams says homeowners need to pay attention to the exhaust vent from furnaces, as there could be issues when carbon monoxide is released from those pipes.

“But there’s also moisture in there, (and) in these cold temperatures it’s going to start freezing up at the end of the exhaust pipe. So you just have to make sure you go out and knock the ice off so it doesn’t eventually plug the exhaust pipe which would cause all of the fumes to go into the house.”    

Additionally, Chief Williams advises putting straw, hay or foam insulation around outdoor faucets from freezing.

“Because if the waters average 50 degrees any help keeping that heat that’s in the water pipe on the outside of the house will help. So a bale of straw, they’re cheap to stack on those.”

As for indoor water pipes, Williams recommends for homes that are drafty, to open the cabinets underneath sinks to allow for the warmer air to travel freely around the pipes, which better protects them from freezing.