Keep pipes from freezing during power outage

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When wicked weather strikes, master plumber Noah Klein and his crew from Royal Plumbing in Southfield prepare for the worst.

Wednesday's whipping winds left hundreds of thousands without power. Most may have their electricity back by Sunday but the temperatures are expected to dip before then, which could be a recipe for a household disaster.

"If the heat is out I would say in the next 24 hours you 'll see a real risk," says Klein.

Klein points to a few tips that could help prevent any potential problems when it comes to your pipes.

"If you keep the water running, then generally if it is not so cold, that will keep the pipes from freezing," he says. "But there are many branches in the house. Keep all the water flowing in each section just a little bit."

That's a temporary fix, but if you know it is going to be a few days or you are heading out of town you need to start with turning off the water at the meter.

Something you may not know is that pouring antifreeze and window washer fluid down your fixtures can actually prevent water from freezing. Producer's note: Preston RV Waterline Antifreeze is safe to use inside your home.

"All you have to do is pour a couple ounces down there," Klein says. "The idea is this trap here, fills up with a little bit of the window washer fluid or the antifreeze or fluid, preventing a section from freezing."

You want to do the same to your toilets, but be sure to not use the fixtures or the fluids will be flushed away. A lack of power can also impact your sump pump and cause flooding.

But Klein introduced us new technology, first, a water power backup sum pump.

"This pump literally runs on water so if water level goes up and float lifts up," he says, "it will manually pump the water out."

And to keep you completely head of the game, PumpAlarm.com offers a device with certain sensors that will text you if the power is out, your sump pump over flows and the temperature in your house drops below 45 degrees.

"We found this is a huge indicator of a problem because somebody is at work they don't know what's going on," he says.

Bottom line, Klein says investing in prevention now may save you from damage and spending dollars down the road.