As the spring break travel season arrives, many Sigma Chi brothers will be packing up and heading south for warmer weather. Already this year, Sigma Chi has experienced nearly a dozen property claims related to freezing temperatures and busted pipes. To ensure your brothers do not return to a water-logged house, the house manager and top officers should enact a plan in coordination with the house corporation for property maintenance when brothers are away.

A few tips on how to keep your property safe.

If your campus is still fighting with winter, then before brothers leave for spring break, you should:

• Wrap all exposed pipes located outside or in un-heated areas of the home.
• Remove garden hoses from outside faucets.
• Cover vents around the foundation of your home.
• Know where the water cut-off valve is located and how to use it.
• Turn off irrigation systems to protect pipes and conserve water.
• Leave home heating system on at a low setting.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks adjacent to outside walls.

If temperatures drop while brothers are on the beach, be sure the property manager or a local house corporation advisor can handle the following:

• Open cabinet doors under sinks adjacent to outside walls.
• In unheated areas, shut off water to washing machines.
• If temperatures are expected to be 28 degrees or below for at least 4 hours, drip outside faucets 24 hours a day (5 drops per minute). Be sure to turn off the faucets after the threat of freezing weather.
• In sustained sub-freezing weather, let water drip slowly from inside faucets.
• Take extra precautions to protect pipes that have frozen in the past.

Heater Safety

• Have a professional inspect and service your central heating unit each year.
• Keep the area around the central heating units clear, and clean filters regularly.
• “Space heaters need space.” Heaters should be at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including the walls, curtains, and bedding.
• Never leave space heaters operating when you are not in the room or away from the house.
• Electrical and kerosene heaters should be equipped with a cutoff device that will automatically shut off if the unit is tipped over or overheats.
• Make sure electric or kerosene heaters have the “UL” approval seal.
• Never use heater/AC or water heater closets for storage.

Follow these tips, and enjoy your spring break knowing that your chapter house is prepared to deal with winter in your absence!