Everyone probably recalls on Christmas Eve this year that it was unusually cold for our area. The Norfolk Naval Air Station registered 12.9 degrees at 8:00 am on 12/24/22. And even, if you did not notice the cold snap, our water pipes certainly paid attention to it. We experienced two water pipe breaches, which were quickly addressed. The board thanks all those in our community, who stepped up to assist. Fortunately, no one's individual unit experienced any damage.
I do want to offer up a few suggestions for those few units, who have a water spigot installed on a balcony or a terrace. First, the board would suggest that during winter months there should not be a hose attached to a spigot and the spigot should remain in the off position. Secondly, if the spigot is equipped with a shut off valve inside the unit, please activate that during winter months. With this feature, the resident can cutoff water at the valve that is leading towards the spigot. The spigot can then be opened and closed to relieve any water pressure approaching the spigot. Lastly, spigot covers or faucet covers come in plastic or styrofoam at a cost of about $10 at Lowes, Home Depot, or Amazon. This is inexpensive insurance to head-off the potential for a breach at the site of a frozen spigot or pipe near a spigot. Below is a picture of a spigot before it is covered and one after it is covered.
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