Nov. 29, 2004 -- Janice Carpio, KFOX News at Nine

It's the first freeze of the season and with temperatures expected to get down into the 20's it's time to remember to protect the three P's. The first: your pipes.

"You just tighten this down until the foam forms a seal against the house." Keeping the cold air outside of your home and away from your pipes can easily be done if you use the proper equipment, says Louis Kosich from Home Depot. Spray foam helps trap air in and heat cables help with the flow of water indoors. Doing this prevents your pipes from bursting something that could cause a lot of trouble."Your're talking about shutting the main water off to your house, so no hot showers no running water, you'll be drinking bottle water if you have it, you'll be cooking with that same bottled water." that's just what could happen with an outdoor pipe. If it bursts indoors you could see damage to your home. Though thicker pipes could with stand cold weather it's the "freezing" weather that's a problem.

The second concern: your pets. Whether a cat or dog warmth combined with dry conditions is key to protecting your best friend says Bobbie Gonzales from the Humane Society. "Make sure that your pet is not wet, more problems have occurred because the pet has gotten wet, than because the pet has gotten cold." This rule applies to all pets. If a larger dog must be kept outdoors make sure he has a blanket or something to keep his paws off of the ground. As for medium to small pets they produce less body heat and leaving them outdoors could be a deadly decision even if wearing protective clothing, "It's really not going to be that helpful if it's going to be outside."

The third p: your plants. One misconception is that water is bad for plants when a freeze is expected, but it's the other way around says Hilda Poole from the Casa Verde Nursery. "When the soil is dry it pulls away from the roots and this way the roots freeze easier, if their wet its like an insulation blanket to your plants." A blanket which will protect the roots and save your plant. It's about the only thing that can save trees shrubs and other plants that must be left outdoors. "Sometimes the top will freeze, that is hit by the cold but if your ground is damp or wet than the root should be okay and it may come back for you."

Now along with this you should also protect yourself, especially with how low temperatures are going to drop. Meanwhile here is some information on how to protect stray animals.

Make sure you keep your driveway clear of antifreeze. To animals it has a sweet taste, but is deadly even in the smallest doses. Also make sure that if you plan to drive you tap the hood of your car and make sure that stray cats haven't climbed in.