Cold weather preparation tips for offices and living spaces

From: Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities

As temperatures begin to drop and winter weather arrives, it is important to keep the following tips in mind to prevent damage to building systems:

On-campus preparation tips:

• Prevent freezing pipes by maintaining adequate heat in your room or office. Keep your thermostat set around 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Close all windows to prevent damage to building systems. This is especially important when leaving for the holidays or breaks.
• Open curtains during the day to let in natural heat, then close them at night to keep heat in. 
• To report heat-related repairs, follow the below steps:

Emergency repairs:

If a maintenance request is needed for on-campus educational and general use spaces (such as classrooms and offices): 

Call (540) 231-4300 during normal business hours (7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) Monday through Friday. Outside of normal business hours or during holidays, call the Virginia Tech Police Department's non-emergency line at (540) 231-6411 to report the situation.

If a maintenance request is needed for residential spaces, please follow the below steps:

• If the request is more pressing, but not urgent, contact dsafacilities@vt.edu. Include details of the request, such as location, issue description, and contact information for follow up. 
• If the request is urgent/an emergency, contact (540) 231-1111 to reach Student Affairs dispatch. This line is monitored Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Following 4:30 p.m., the line is forwarded to on-call emergency personnel.  
• If the request is urgent/an emergency and there is a delayed response in the after hours dispatch, contact the Virginia Tech Police non-emergency line at (540) 382-4343.

Routine repairs: 

Routine maintenance requests for all on-campus facilities should be submitted online via READY Request. The online platform for maintenance requests provides real-time updates on the work completed. 

Off-campus preparation tips:

If you work or live off-campus, consider following up with your landlord or property management company on these winter preparations:

• Prevent freezing pipes by maintaining adequate heat in your apartment or house. Keep your thermostat set around 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Close all windows to prevent damage to building systems. This is especially important when leaving for the holidays or breaks. It is always a good idea to have a qualified technician check your heating system.
• Seal windows with plastic and double-sided tape to prevent heat from escaping and seal doors with foam, felt strips, spray foam, or a sock filled with rice to prevent heat from escaping.
• Replace dirty air filters in your heating system.
• Ensure that the recommended number of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in place. Check the operation of these and replace batteries if needed. 

Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff should bookmark the University Status Page for official updates around closings and delays.