How to Keep Your Pipes From Bursting During a Freeze

When temperatures drop below freezing, your plumbing turns into a ticking time bomb. One burst pipe can dump gallons of water in minutes, and suddenly you're dealing with expensive repairs, soggy drywall, and ruined floors.

Most of it's avoidable if you prep ahead of time and know what to do when things go wrong.

Why Pipes Burst

Pipes don't fail just because water freezes. The real problem is when frozen water blocks the pipe and pressure builds up behind it.

"Whenever there is an attachment to it, it prevents it from being able to drain," Anthony Ladd with Baker Brothers Plumbing explained. "That section couldn't drain and so it popped."

Outdoor faucets, hoses still hooked up from summer, and pipes along exterior walls are the usual suspects.

Take the Hoses Off

Outdoor faucets are one of the biggest failure points when it freezes. Pull the hoses off completely so trapped water can drain. Then cover the spigots with insulated faucet covers.

"That small step can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars," Clayton Robinson with CR Plumbing said. "Once you have water damage, the costs add up very fast."

David Butler, a master plumber with Milestone Electric, A/C, & Plumbing, put it bluntly: if a burst pipe floods your house, you're looking at $20,000 to $30,000 in damage. Easily. Spending 30 seconds to disconnect a hose suddenly seems worth it.

Drip Your Faucets

Let faucets drip slowly when it gets below freezing. Keeps water moving through the pipes. Do it on both hot and cold lines, especially on exterior walls.

Open cabinet doors under sinks so warm air can reach the pipes. Run hot and cold at the same time—just a trickle works. Don't bother with outdoor faucets, though. "You can't leave outside faucet dripping, only inside faucets," Butler said.

Wrap Exposed Pipes

Pipes in garages, crawl spaces, attics, and under sinks near outside walls need insulation or pipe sleeves. Hardware stores see these fly off shelves when cold weather hits. Employees at Park Row Ace Hardware said faucet covers and pipe insulation usually sell out first. "It's best to prep before the cold actually hits," employee Michael Tatum said.

Buy a proper cover or wrap a towel around it and stick a cup on top. Whatever keeps it warmer than the freezing air.

Know Where Your Shut-Off Valve Is

This matters more than anything else, and most people have no clue where theirs is.

"Your home shut-off valve turns the water off to the entire house," Ladd said. "It can be in the laundry room, the garage, or even outside in a flower bed. It's very important to know where it is and that it's working."

In North Texas, it's often in a box near the curb. Find it now, not when water is gushing through your living room. Being able to shut it off fast can save thousands in damage.

If Pipes Freeze

Sudden drop in water pressure or visible frost on pipes means trouble. Turn on the faucet connected to that pipe. Apply gentle heat with a hair dryer or space heater. Don't use an open flame unless adding a house fire to your problems sounds appealing.

If a Pipe Bursts

Pooling water, damp walls or ceilings, sound of running water when nothing's on—you've got a burst pipe. Shut off the main water supply immediately. Turn off electricity in affected areas if it's safe. Call a plumber.

"Pay attention to any signs of water inside or outside," Robinson said. "The sooner we can get there, the better chance we have of limiting the damage."

Calls to plumbers spike hard during freezing weather. Every minute you wait makes the damage worse.

Most People Won't Do Any of This

David Crow, president of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, knows what's coming. His crews are already gearing up for the surge in emergency calls.

"Customers call us in a panic because they didn't prepare and don't know where to turn the water off," he said. "Our guys are out there ankle deep in water, things floating by."

He's seen it every winter. "The amount of people that watch this, and don't do anything, are going to be the panic calls that we get."

Disconnect hoses. Cover faucets. Insulate pipes. Know where your shut-off valve is. It takes maybe an hour total and beats a flooded house.

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