4 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter

It’s finally that time of year when we get our two months of winter! While it doesn’t stay very cold for very long, it does get cold enough to wreak havoc on your home. The Farmer’s Almanac is predicted a colder, stormier winter for Central Texas. Here’s what the average temperature in your city could be without major emission cuts | KXAN Austin

Here are a few helpful hints to help you make it through the cold season unscathed:

1. Disconnect All Outside Hoses. Anytime it dips below 32 degrees, all hoses on the outside of the house should be disconnected. Additionally, it’s a great idea to insulate your faucet with a faucet cover. These can be found online or at any hardware store, but if you wait until the first hard freeze of the season, there’s a good chance they will be sold out! If you need a couple, give me a call, and I’d be happy to get some over to you!

2. Drip faucets during extreme cold. While it may not seem like much, a very small drip from a few faucets in your home can save you thousands of dollars in repair bills. Here in Central Texas, homes are not as well insulated as homes in other parts of the country that see extreme cold on a regular basis.  Allowing for the water to move through the pipes over-night, or if the home is left unattended for an extended period of time, could substantially decrease the likelihood of a pipe freezing and bursting. 

If you plan on being away for the holidays or leaving your home unattended for an extended period of time, leaving your cupboard doors open under sinks, especially those positioned near an exterior wall, can also help keep pipes from freezing.  

3. Locate Your Water Meter! The meter is sometimes difficult to find as over time grass can grow and cover the opening entirely. It’s typically somewhere near your property line, by your main drain clean-out. There should be a valve that can be turned to shut-off water to the entire home, in the event you do experience a burst pipe. Knowing where this is and having the appropriate tool to turn off your water should be a standard in every home. 

A water shut-off tool can be found online or in just about every hard store. If you’re not already aware, your main drain clean-out and water-shut-off tool look something like this.

This is what most water meters in our area look like. Simply turn the valve to align the two holes to cut off water to the property. 

4. Keep heat on and at a reasonably warm temperature. If you are going to be gone be sure to leave the heat on and the water dripping. 

Doing these few simple things will help you avoid the headaches that come with a burst pipe at a time of year when finding a plumber on short notice can become very difficult because they’re busy fixing pipes for people who did not take these precautions. In a worst-case scenario, if you do have a pipe burst and are in need of a plumber to help, feel free to reach out! 

We hope you and your loved ones have a great season. Feel free to reach out if you need anything related to your home during this winter.