"Really Cold on the Weekend"... Seoul City Issues 'Frozen Pipe Warning' on the 17th

With a sharp drop in temperatures expected this weekend and severe cold anticipated, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 15th that it will issue the 'Frozen Water Meter Warning' stage for the first time this winter starting at 9 a.m. on the 17th.

The Frozen Water Meter Warning stage corresponds to level 3 out of the 4-level frozen water meter forecast system and is issued when the daily minimum temperature remains below minus 10 degrees Celsius for two or more consecutive days.

Following the issuance of the frozen water meter warning, a frozen water meter countermeasure situation room will operate 24 hours a day until the 22nd to ensure rapid recovery from frozen and burst pipe damages. The Seoul Waterworks Headquarters and eight waterworks offices, along with the Seoul Facilities Corporation, will organize personnel into two shifts per day to prepare for emergency repairs due to a surge in frozen water meter incidents.

Since the start of the winter frozen water meter countermeasure period on the 15th of last month until the 13th of this month, a total of 44 frozen water meter incidents have occurred in Seoul. The locations of these incidents were apartments (18 cases), construction sites (15 cases), row houses and multi-family houses (4 cases), detached houses and commercial buildings (3 cases each), and public facilities such as parks (1 case). Notably, among apartments, 16 cases occurred in corridor-type apartments without windproof windows.

Households are advised to check the insulation status of their water meter boxes in advance, fill them with insulating materials, and replace any wet insulation with new materials. Even if the meter box is insulated, if temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius persist for more than two days, the risk of freezing remains high. Therefore, when going out, it is recommended to keep the tap water running slowly and continuously. The amount of water is also important. When the daily minimum temperature drops below minus 10 degrees Celsius, running tap water at a rate sufficient to fill a disposable paper cup in 33 seconds effectively prevents freezing.

Based on this standard, the city estimates that running tap water for 10 hours would cost less than 300 won per day according to household water rates.

If the water meter glass is broken or bulging, indicating suspected freezing damage, residents can report it via the waterworks customer service chatbot ArisuTalk, the Seoul Dasan Call Foundation, or the local waterworks office.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.