HOME PLUMBING TIPS: PROTECTING YOUR PIPES IN A POWER OUTAGE While encountering an extended blackout (one that can last days or weeks), you are undoubtedly engrossed with zeroing in on the best way to remain warm, get sufficient light to see by, and cook food. Insignificant could be what the blackout means for your home pipes, correct? Tragically, as most private handymen can verify, blackouts can cause some genuine home pipes issues, particularly in frigid temperatures. Whenever your house is done coursing heat, water in your lines can extend and freeze and may ultimately make the line break or burst. Indeed, even the littlest break in your home pipes can make gallons of water spill out into your home.