How to Prevent Frozen Pipes in North Texas

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Every winter in North Texas goes about the same way. It's 70 degrees on Tuesday, then the weather folks start talking about an Arctic front, and by Thursday everybody is at the hardware store looking for foam faucet covers. Most of us still remember Winter Storm Uri and Winter Storm Uri. A lot of families learned about frozen pipes the hard way that week.

Here's the thing: many homes around here were built for heat, not for long stretches below freezing. Plumbing runs through attics, exterior walls and garages. That's fine most of the year. It's a problem when the temperature stays low and the power flickers. The good news is that most freeze damage can be prevented with a little prep.

Why Do Pipes Burst When They Freeze?

Water expands when it freezes. As ice forms inside a pipe, pressure builds between the ice and a closed faucet. The pipe often splits somewhere other than where the ice is. And here's the sneaky part: a frozen pipe usually doesn't leak until it thaws. That's why so many calls come in the day the weather warms back up.

Which Pipes Are Most at Risk in North Texas Homes?

• Lines in the attic, especially over garages and in older additions
• Pipes on exterior walls, like kitchen sinks under a window
• Outdoor hose bibs and irrigation backflow preventers
• Plumbing in an unheated garage, including some water heaters and laundry lines
• Pipes in crawl spaces on pier-and-beam homes

If you're not sure where your lines run, now is a great time to find out. Peek in the attic with a flashlight and look under sinks on outside walls.

What Should I Do Before a Hard Freeze?

Here's the checklist we'd want our own families to follow:

1. Disconnect and drain garden hoses. A hose left attached can trap water in the faucet.
2. Cover outdoor faucets with insulated covers. Our guide to winterizing outdoor faucets and irrigation backflow walks through it.
3. Insulate exposed pipes in the attic, garage and crawl space with foam pipe sleeves.
4. Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm room air reaches the pipes.
5. Let faucets drip on the coldest nights, both hot and cold, especially on outside walls. Moving water is harder to freeze.
6. Keep the thermostat steady, day and night, even if you're used to turning it down.
7. Close garage doors if plumbing runs through the garage.
8. Find your main water shutoff and make sure it actually turns. Every adult in the house should know where it is.

What If I Lose Power During a Freeze?

This is the scenario that caught a lot of people during Winter Storm Uri. Without heat, your house slowly cools and the pipes at the edges go first. Keep faucets dripping. Keep cabinet doors open. Close off unused rooms to hold heat in the main living area. If the outage drags on and temperatures stay low, you may decide to shut off the main and drain the lines by opening the lowest faucet in the house. That prevents pressure from building and limits how much water can escape if something splits.

Never use a grill, camp stove or generator indoors to stay warm. A frozen pipe is a repair. Carbon monoxide is a tragedy.

How Can I Tell If a Pipe Is Frozen?

If you turn on a faucet and nothing comes out, or just a trickle, assume a freeze somewhere along that line. Leave the faucet open. Gently warm the area with a hair dryer or space heater kept at a safe distance. Never use an open flame. If you can't find the frozen section or it's inside a wall, call a plumber.

What Should I Do If a Pipe Bursts Anyway?

Shut off the main right away. Turn off power to any rooms where water is near outlets or fixtures, if you can do that safely. Take photos and video of everything before you move much. Then call for help. Our guide on what to do when a pipe bursts goes step by step.

CMDR Restoration, our mitigation partner (licensed by TDLR, RCO #1801), handles extraction and drying, and G3 rebuilds what has to come out. Learn more on our water damage page, or call (945) 300-9018.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep learning: see our CMDR Restoration & Mitigation page, read Leaving for the Holidays? How to Freeze-Proof Your Home, or read what homeowners say in our customer reviews.