San Antonio Water Systems says they are experiencing problems due to the cold weather and power outages, but they have back-up systems to provide the city with water.
Officials issued a statement saying they wanted to correct a rumor on social media that they were shutting of water to the city. They say that is not the case. They say local power shortages have affected SAWS pump stations, and may have caused low water pressure or outages in some areas, but they are not shutting off the water supply.
Additionally, extended freezing temperatures have frozen pipes in many homes across town.
Here are some tips to troubleshoot that issue:
- Check multiple faucets around the home. Are they all off or is it just one or a few? If so, your pipes are likely frozen.
- Leave cabinet doors open under the kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow warmer room air to circulate over the pipes.
- If there are rooms without heating ducts, leave doors open to allow ambient heat in. Especially if the room is on the north side of the house.
- Allow faucets to drip in various areas of the home to keep water in the pipes moving.
- SAWS does not recommend applying heat to pipes to defrost them.
- Once warmer weather has returned, it’s important to check the plumbing in areas that might have frozen. Broken/cracked pipes can produce lasting – and expensive – water damage.
Pay attention to those pipes because leaks from there could cause significant damage to homes and businesses