Freeze Prep Guide

At home: the night before a hard freeze

Pipes are most at risk where they run through unheated space: crawlspaces, attics, garages, and outside walls. Most damage happens overnight, so do this before bed.

• Let a thin, steady drip run from faucets on outside walls, both hot and cold. Moving water is much slower to freeze, and an open tap relieves the pressure that bursts pipes.
• Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so warm room air reaches the pipes.
• Disconnect garden hoses, shut the indoor valve to each outdoor spigot if you have one, and open the spigot to drain it. Cover spigots with an insulated faucet cover.
• Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night, and no lower than 55°F if you'll be away.
• Close the garage door if water lines or a water heater are in the garage.
• Know where your main water shutoff is, and make sure it turns. If a pipe bursts, that valve is what limits the damage.

Before the season

• Insulate exposed pipes in crawlspaces, attics, and garages with foam pipe insulation.
• Seal drafts where pipes come through outside walls and around crawlspace vents.
• On pipes that froze before, add heat cable (heat tape). Use a UL-listed cable with a built-in thermostat and follow its instructions exactly, especially about overlapping and covering it with insulation.

Cabins & second homes

An empty house is the riskiest kind: nobody is there to notice the heat went out, and a burst pipe can run for days. Decide which of these two approaches fits the property.

Keep it heated

• Set the heat to at least 55°F and leave interior doors and sink cabinets open.
• Put a Wi-Fi thermometer inside so you'll know if the heat fails, not just when the weather turns.
• Add water-leak sensors near the water heater and under sinks, or an automatic water shutoff valve that closes the main when it detects a leak.
• Leave a key with a neighbor who can check the place when a hard freeze is coming.

Or winterize it

• Shut off the main water (and the well pump, if there is one) and turn off the water heater.
• Open every faucet, drain the lines from the lowest point, and flush the toilets.
• Pour non-toxic plumbing (RV) antifreeze into sink and tub drains and toilet bowls to protect the traps.

Well houses & pumps

A frozen well line, pressure switch, or pressure tank means no water at all, and a cracked pump or tank is an expensive repair.

• Insulate the well house walls and ceiling, and keep the door shut and sealed.
• Insulate the pressure tank and every exposed pipe. Wrap the small tube that feeds the pressure switch too; it's often the first thing to freeze.
• Use a heater made for well houses or pump houses, controlled by a thermostat, so it only runs when it's needed.
• Put a Wi-Fi thermometer inside the well house so you know it's actually staying above freezing.

Power outages

Winter storms knock out power right when heaters, heat cable, and well pumps need it most.

• A portable power station can run a heat cable, a thermostat-controlled heater on a low setting, or a Wi-Fi sensor and router for hours. Check the wattage before relying on it.
• A generator covers longer outages. Run it outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointed away from doors and windows.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home.

If a pipe freezes

• Open the faucet it feeds, so water can flow once it starts to thaw.
• Warm the frozen section with a hair dryer, heating pad, or space heater, starting nearest the faucet. Never use an open flame or torch.
• If a pipe has burst, shut off the main water right away, turn off the water heater, and call a plumber.

Gear worth having

What to look for, and where each one helps most.