Getting the place ready for a hard freeze

Start early, on a mild day. Find your main shutoff, protect what sits outside or against cold walls, drain what can be drained, and shield the well house from wind. AgriLife treats 20 F as the point where pipes are at real risk, and advises care at any freeze.

28-1 When to worry, and when to start

Chapter 27 was the record. This chapter is the list. Texas A&M AgriLife says "Water pipes have the potential to freeze and burst when the outside temperature reaches 20 °F or below."¹ An AgriLife agent adds that you should take precautions any time temperatures dip below freezing.² So 20 F is the line to take seriously, and 32 F is the line to start paying attention.

The same agency says "It's best to act early," because supplies may run short once a storm is forecast.² Buy sleeves, covers and heat tape in October. The afternoon before an ice storm is a poor time to look for them.

28-2 Know your shutoff first

Everything else in these chapters assumes you can stop the water. AgriLife's first point on frozen pipes is to know where the main valve is.¹ Walk to it now and try it gently, with dry hands, in daylight.

On a public system, the valve you use may not be the one at the meter. Lamar County Water Supply District's posted rules require "a cut-off valve on the Customer's side of the meter" and say that use of the District's curb stop for that purpose "is prohibited."³ Other suppliers' rules may differ, and Chapter 12 explains why yours are the ones to read. On a well, trace the line from the pressure tank to the house and find the valve on it, if one was fitted.

While you are looking, try the small stops under sinks and behind toilets. They let you isolate one fixture if a supply line lets go. Angle stop valves (Plumbing Supply and More, run by the same team as this book) are the usual part, and that link is one place that sells them. If one will not move, have it replaced before cold weather (ordinary practice), and Chapter 31 covers who may do that work. If you are unsure of a valve, ask a licensed plumber to show you.

28-3 What freezes first

AgriLife names the usual places: hose bibs, sprinkler lines, and pipes in crawl spaces, attics, garages and against poorly insulated outside walls. It adds well houses.¹² On a place with a long line and outbuildings, that list is longer than it looks.

The brass bib in Figure 28-1 is padlocked against theft, not cold, and it shows how little metal stands between the wall and the weather. A frost-free yard hydrant like the one in Figure 28-2 is a different item: it stands in the open on its own line. Treat one as part of your outdoor water system, and check the maker's instructions for how it should drain.

28-4 Well houses, barns and troughs

Two AgriLife warnings apply here. Do not wrap pipes and pressure tanks with empty fertilizer or pesticide bags.⁴ And any heat source you put in a well house has to be a safe one, set up before the cold arrives.⁵ Keep any heater away from anything that burns, and use only what the maker allows in that space. Pump wiring and any new circuit go to a licensed person. Your own part stops at a breaker or switch check from dry ground.

Stock water needs its own plan. The windmill and tank in Figure 28-3 stand in Texas snow, and an open tank like that one is what a frozen line leaves you relying on. Chapter 17 covers how troughs are plumbed. For the freeze, it comes down to knowing which outside lines can be drained or dripped, and how you would water stock if they froze anyway.

28-5 On the cold night

Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors. Keep the thermostat steady. If you will be away, set it "no lower than 55 °F."¹ The Railroad Commission gives the same cabinet advice for doors on outside walls.⁶

Dripping is less settled. AgriLife's news service says that leaving water running slightly "does help during prolonged freezing temperatures," though AgriLife's own frozen-pipes sheet does not mention it.²¹ If your supplier announces a shortage or asks people to cut use, follow that notice. Retail water suppliers must have drought contingency plans, which can include stages for a system outage, and Chapter 2 explains who runs yours.⁷

Ready.gov says "Only use generators and grills outdoors and away from windows and never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven."⁸ Chapter 33 has what to do about a gas or propane smell, and what to do about a carbon monoxide alarm.