The City of Hiroshima: Winter weather warning, Protecting water pipes from the cold

Temperatures are expected to drop rapidly and dramatically beginning in the evening of January 24 (Tues).

Water pipes and water meters tend to freeze or even burst when temperatures fall to -4℃ and below (or to -1℃ to -2℃ with strong winds), causing water outages in your homes. In order to avoid water outages caused by pipes freezing or bursting, please be sure to take the appropriate measures to protect your pipes and meter by wrapping them in towels or covering them with cardboard.

◉ If your pipes or meter freeze: wrap the frozen portion in a towel and gradually pour lukewarm (not hot) water over it. Pipes may burst if you use boiling hot water, so be sure to use lukewarm water only.

◉ If your pipes burst: turn off your water supply (valve located in your water meter box). If you can’t turn off the supply, wrap a towel around the broken part and secure it with vinyl tape as a temporary fix.

◉ Requesting repairs: please contact the construction companies designated by the Waterworks Bureau. If water is leaking in your water meter box, please contact the Waterworks Bureau Management Office (Suidō Kyoku, Kanri Jimusho).