How Do I Protect My Pipes During a North Texas Freeze?

Everyone knows prevention saves you from damage. Fewer people know it can affect whether a claim gets paid.

What your policy may ask of you The Texas Department of Insurance says home and renters policies might not pay for damage caused by frozen pipes if you didn't take steps to protect them, such as keeping the heater on in your house.

It also suggests asking your agent whether your policy covers sudden and accidental water damage, which is the coverage that pays for burst pipes. Flood insurance doesn't cover burst pipe damage.

You can read the Texas Department of Insurance's winter storm guidance for the full version.

So the walkthrough below is worth doing on both counts. It keeps water out of your walls, and it means you took reasonable steps if you ever need to say so.

We're plumbers, not insurance advisors, and every policy reads differently. Check yours, and ask your agent what it expects of you before a freeze.

Start outside, at the thing most likely to break.

• Shut off and drain the irrigation system. TDI lists this among its pre-freeze steps, and an empty line can't crack.

• Wrap the backflow preventer. That's the brass assembly standing above ground near the street side of the system. It's one of the most common freeze casualties in this area.

• Insulate the water meter box and make sure the lid sits down tight.

• Drain and store your hoses. A connected hose holds water in the bib, which is how an interior line freezes from the outside in.

Larger properties take longer here than people plan for. More zones means more valves, a longer system to drain, and usually more than one backflow assembly to protect.

If your irrigation is on a timer, turn the controller off as well. A system that runs during a freeze undoes everything you just did.

Next, work your way around the house itself.

• Cover every hose bib. Not just the two you use. The one behind the shrubs and the one on the far side of the house count too.

• Outdoor kitchen. Shut off the supply and drain the sink line. These usually sit at the end of a long run with very little insulation around it.

• Pool equipment. Either keep it circulating or have it properly winterized before the temperature drops.

• Check runs along exterior walls. TDI names pipes along uninsulated exterior walls as a known failure point, along with outdoor pipes and pipes in unheated areas.

This zone is where "I forgot we had a tap there" usually happens. Walking the perimeter once, slowly, is the whole job.

These are the spaces with water lines and no real heat.

• Keep the garage door closed. It's the simplest item on this entire list, and the one most often undone by someone carrying something inside.

• Wrap the lines to a clothes washer in the garage. TDI calls this one out specifically.

• Drain lines to unheated outbuildings. A detached shop, a casita, or guest quarters sits outside the house's heat entirely. If the building isn't heated, empty the lines.

• Don't forget a second water heater. One in a garage or outbuilding needs the same attention as the one in the house.

The pattern here is simple. Anywhere water sits in a space you don't heat, it's at risk, and that includes buildings you only visit a few times a month.

This is the zone that costs the most when it goes wrong.

Attic runs are where many Texas homeowners saw pipes freeze in recent winters. The space sits above your insulation, not below it, so it tracks the outdoor temperature far more closely than the rooms underneath.

Two things to do up there:

• Insulate exposed runs, especially near the eaves where cold air moves through the vents.

• Keep the attic hatch closed and sealed, so you're not pulling warm air up and cold air down.

With more than one HVAC system, there's usually more equipment and more plumbing overhead than people expect. Worth a look with a flashlight before the first hard freeze.

A burst pipe up there drains through your ceilings on the way down. That's why this zone earns the ladder.

Inside the house, the list is short.

• Open cabinets under sinks on exterior walls, so household heat reaches the pipes behind them.

• Keep the heat on. TDI names this as an example of taking steps to protect your pipes.

• Dripping has its place, though current guidance is more targeted than the old advice of running every faucet.

Leaving town during a freeze changes the picture. An empty house with the water on is the worst version of this.

Before you go, TDI suggests turning off the water at the shutoff valve while your faucets run, which drains the pipes. If you do drain the system, contact your utility for guidance on protecting the water heater.

Either way, know where your shutoff valve is first. TDI notes it's usually in an underground space under a cover near the street.

Here's the part people get backwards. Most freeze damage shows up on the thaw, not during the freeze. The ice holds the break closed until it melts.

If a pipe freezes, turn off the water at the shutoff valve. TDI's reasoning is exactly this: it stops a broken pipe from leaking into your house once it thaws. Do that before you try to warm anything up.

If a pipe has already burst:

1. Shut off the water at the main.

2. Cut power to any area where water is near outlets or fixtures.

3. Photograph everything before you start cleaning up.

4. Call your insurer promptly, and don't make permanent repairs before an adjuster has seen the damage.

Then it's a question of timing. We can repair the line, and if you're not sure how urgent it is, whether it can wait until morning covers how to decide.

Serving Southlake since 1975, we answer calls 24/7. During a freeze event that matters, because the calls don't arrive on a schedule.

The better call is in November. Before winter, we can insulate vulnerable runs, check that your main shutoff actually turns, and point out the spots on your property that worry us.

Larger properties simply have more to check. More hose bibs, more irrigation zones, sometimes an outbuilding or a second water heater. Walking it once with someone who knows what fails is worth an hour of a mild afternoon.

We work across Carillon, Sterling Creek, and the Carroll ISD area, along with Westlake, Trophy Club, and Grapevine.

When something lets go, call us. You can also reach our Southlake team before the cold arrives.

Freeze protection is a walk around your property, not a single task. We can do that walk with you in November, and we're here when a pipe lets go in January.

We answer calls 24/7. Before you call, read reviews from Southlake homeowners about working with Berkeys in Southlake.

Berkeys Plumbing, A/C & Electrical Business Address: 1070 S Kimball Ave Suite 131, Southlake, TX 76092

Call (817) 481-5869 for burst pipe repair in Southlake.