FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Fort Wayne City Utilities says residents should take precautions to protect their pipes and keep water meters from freezing when temperatures drop into the single digits.

Residents should keep their garage door closed while shoveling driveways and sidewalks because many meters are in the garage.

Here are more tips to protect your home and meter:

• Run a small trickle of lukewarm water about the diameter of a pencil lead to keep water flowing through your meter and pipes.
• If the meter is in an unheated garage, it should be protected with an insulated box, and the garage door should be closed to hold in as much warmth as possible. For residents with an outdoor meter located in a pit, be sure the lid is not broken or missing. The meter is the customer’s responsibility, and replacements start at $134.
• Wrap pipes that run through unheated garages or crawl spaces with flexible pipe sleeves or insulation tape to provide additional warmth.
• Know the location of your master valve or a main water shut-off control. That will allow you to turn off all the water coming into the house if you have a broken pipe. The valve is usually near where the main water line enters the house. If a pipe breaks somewhere in the house, you can turn off the water at this main valve.
• Open doors below sinks to allow warm air to reach the pipes. 
• Consider using a space heater to keep warm air circulating near drains and water pipes.

If you do not have water and suspect you have a frozen meter or pipe, call City Utilities’ customer support at 427-1234 during business hours. On weekends or after business hours, call 311 and use the prompt for water maintenance.