The weather is getting colder and you need to bundle more than your body.

To prevent damaging pipes, it is very important to turn off outdoor irrigation systems, drain those pipes and disconnect hoses from spigots.

Plain Talk about Drinking Water provides some good tips for keeping your outdoor and indoor plumbing in working order.

“[Outdoors] Insulated caps, available at home improvement stores, can be affixed to the exposed faucets. Use an air compressor to blow remaining water out of underground sprinkling systems only after the valve to your potable water has been closed to avoid air from going back into your house. Close and insulate foundation vents that are near water pipes.

“Indoors, insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas, such as basements or garages, and under your kitchen or bath cabinets as needed. Leave cabinet doors open on extremely cold days to allow the warmed household air to heat the pipes. Consider locating a stand-alone (space) heater near areas known to be susceptible to freezing if there is an extended cold snap. Make sure you have access to your master valve in case pipes do freeze and rupture, and educate everyone in your household on how to shut off the water. If you are expecting severe cold weather and are worried about your pipes freezing, you can also leave a steady, fast drip of water flowing from the tap during the worst of the cold spell. But remember that any extra flow is a waste of water.

“Also, check with your local water company; you may be responsible for keeping the meter from freezing, as well. In other places, meters are maintained by utility personnel.”

In the event you’re too late, Denver Water offers a few tips on how to thaw a frozen pipe:

• Thaw the pipe as soon as possible or call a plumber for help.
• If you thaw it yourself, shut off the water or test the shut-off valve. You don’t want water suddenly gushing from the pipe when it thaws.
• When thawing, slower is better. Pipes warmed too fast may break. A hair dryer pointed at the frozen area of the pipe is appropriate. A blow torch is not.

With all that done, you can rest assured your home’s water system will be ready for you in the spring.