Don’t just brace yourselves for winter — take these important steps to prepare your home for cold weather ahead.
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Texas homeowners know firsthand the threat of winter storms, and their potential to wreak havoc on their pipes (and lives); just ask anyone who was home during the winter blackout last February. But while winter weather is inevitable, you can prevent the worst from happening by taking these preventative measures to protect your home from freezing temperatures.
Stay warm and informed with tips from a lifelong Dallas homeowner on how to prepare your house from a winter freeze.
8 Home Preparation Tips for Winter Weather
- Locate the water shutoff valve for your house to ensure you’ll have easy access in case of emergency.
- Make sure you have a water meter key to access the shutoff valve inside the meter box. This one should do the trick.
- Cover exterior water faucets with some sort of insulation (styrofoam covers generally work best for faucets built into the wall). Towels can also suffice in a pinch.
- “Drip” your faucets. In extreme cold, you will want to turn on your faucets (both hot and cold) enough to make a very small stream of water (not just a drip). As an extra precaution, you can open cabinet doors under the sinks to allow warm air to flow.
- Double-check your sprinklers are set to “off” to prevent watering during a freeze. If you have sprinkler freeze sensors, make sure they’re working and set properly beforehand.
- Weatherproof your home by caulking and adding weather-strip to doors and windows, insulating your attic pipes, and insulating any water lines that run along exterior walls so your water supply will be less likely to freeze.
- Cover your foundation vents to prevent cold air from circulating under the house if you have a pier and beam home. This will help protect your water pipes and also keep your floors warmer. Just be sure to remove the covers once warmer weather returns.
- Have your fireplace and chimney inspected if you plan to use it for emergency heating. You can ask your local fire department to recommend an inspector, or check out mastersservices.com.
Follow these tips to ensure your home and family are safe during the next winter freeze. For more information on preparing for a winter storm, visit cdc.gov/disasters/winter.
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