COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Bovill Elementary and preschool, Fernan Stem Academy and North Idaho Stem Academy are all closed on Tuesday, January 16 because of frozen/burst pipes and flooding.
The schools say the burst pipes caused water damage at the schools and crews are onsite assessing.
School bus routes for Fernan will run as normal as a precaution in case there are parents who don’t receive the closure message in time. Buses will take students to the Midtown Center at 1505 N. 5th Street in Coeur d’Alene. Parents will be called to pick up their students from that location.
KREM 2 spoke with plumbers on Monday who said they received over three hundred calls over the weekend when they normally they receive only a couple.
To prevent that, here is how you can prevent home pipes from freezing in cold weather:
- To make sure your pipes don't burst, set your sink faucet to a constant drip.
- Insulate the pipes outside your home, even if it means just wrapping a towel around them tonight.
- Open up your cabinet doors in the kitchen and bathroom to let the warm air in.
- Ensure water pipes in unheated parts of your home, including crawl spaces, are insulated.
- if you have plans to leave town, do not turn off the heat, and keep the thermostat above 55 degrees.
- Plumbers say keeping your house warm is the best way to prevent frozen pipes.
- If you're around, just make sure that your garage is staying shut and you're getting your garden hoses taken off the hose bibs on the exterior of the home.
If your water pipes are frozen, here is what you need to know:
- Never thaw a frozen pipe with an open flame as it may start a fire.
- You should use hot air from a hair dryer, the exhaust from a vacuum cleaner, heat lamps, heat tape, or electric heaters to thaw a frozen pipe.
- Consider using an incandescent lightbulb to thaw pipes slowly by placing it next to frozen pipes.
- Keep the bulb away from combustible material to avoid starting a fire.
WATCH RELATED: Up With KREM Headlines: Tuesday, January 16, 2024
