To prevent frozen pipes, disconnect hoses, shut off outdoor faucets, insulate exposed pipes and keep the heat at 55 degrees or higher.
Water does something rude when it freezes: it expands by about nine percent, and it does not care that it is trapped inside a copper pipe in your crawl space. The pipe splits, nothing happens while it stays frozen, and then the thaw arrives and water pours into your walls, ceiling or floor at several gallons a minute. A burst pipe is one of the most common and most expensive winter home disasters, and anyone who lived through the Texas freeze of 2021 knows it is not just a northern problem. The fix is mostly prevention, and most of it takes about an hour on a cool fall afternoon.
Your One Hour Fall Plumbing Routine
1. Hoses and outdoor faucets
Disconnect every garden hose. A hose left attached traps water in the faucet, which is exactly where freezing starts. If you have an indoor shutoff valve for the outdoor faucet, close it, then open the outdoor faucet to drain it. Finish with a foam faucet cover, a cheap little dome that adds real protection. Older homes without frost free faucets can have them installed, which moves the valve inside the warm wall.
2. Exposed pipes
Walk the garage, crawl space, attic, basement and any cabinet on an outside wall. Any pipe you can see in an unheated space should get foam pipe insulation, which slips on and costs a few dollars per length at the hardware store. Seal drafts near pipes with caulk or spray foam, because a cold draft on one spot is often what freezes a pipe in an otherwise warm house.
3. Know your main shutoff
Find the main water shutoff today, before you need it in a panic. Make sure it turns, tag it with a bright label, and show everyone in the house. If a pipe bursts, shutting off the water in the first minute is the difference between a wet floor and a gutted kitchen.
4. Flush the water heater
Fall is the perfect time to drain a few gallons from the water heater to flush out sediment, which helps it heat faster and last longer through the season it works hardest. Setting the temperature around 120 degrees is a common recommendation for safety and savings, and the ENERGY STAR water heater guide is worth a look if yours is near the end of its life. If the drain valve is crusty or the tank is over ten years old, let a plumber handle it.
On the Coldest Nights
- Let faucets drip on outside walls, both hot and cold, so water keeps moving
- Open cabinet doors under sinks so warm air reaches the pipes
- Keep the heat at 55 degrees or more, even if you travel for the holidays
- Close the garage door if water lines run through it
If a faucet only trickles on a freezing morning, a pipe may already be frozen. Keep the faucet open, warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer or space heater kept at a safe distance, and never use an open flame. If you cannot find or reach the frozen section, call for help before it splits. Ready.gov winter weather tips cover the rest of a cold snap checklist for your family.
Traveling for the holidays?
An empty house is the riskiest house in a cold snap, because nobody notices the first trickle. Before a long trip, set the thermostat no lower than 55, open cabinet doors on outside walls, and ask a neighbor to check inside once if temperatures drop hard. For a cabin or a house you leave empty all winter, shutting off the main valve and having the lines drained and treated with plumbing antifreeze is the safest plan. Smart leak sensors that ping your phone are another popular fall upgrade, and they cost less than a dinner out.
Plumber Costs for Winter Jobs in 2026
| Job | Typical 2026 Cost | Notes |
| Fall plumbing check | $100 to $250 | Shutoffs, exposed pipes, heater |
| Water heater flush | $100 to $250 | Longer life, better heat |
| Frost free outdoor faucet | $150 to $400 | Per faucet, installed |
| Thaw a frozen pipe | $150 to $500 | More if access is hard |
| Burst pipe repair | $250 to $1,500 | Plumbing only, before water damage |
| Vacation home winterization | $150 to $500 | Drain lines, add antifreeze |
The burst pipe repair is the scary row because it does not include the drywall, flooring, cabinets or mold work that often follows, which can run well into the thousands. That is why a $150 check in October is one of the best deals in home maintenance. While you are at it, small drips matter too: the EPA WaterSense leak guide estimates household leaks waste nearly 10,000 gallons a year.
Southern Homes Need This Too
Homes in Dallas, Houston and New Orleans are often built with pipes in exterior walls, attics and pier and beam crawl spaces, because freezes are rare. Rare is exactly the problem. When a hard freeze hits, those homes have less protection than houses up north. If you live in Louisiana, a fall visit through plumbing in New Orleans is a smart move, and so is pairing it with a furnace tune up so the heat stays on when you need it most.
Booking is the easy part. Search plumbing on housefly.com, see an upfront price, and book in a few taps. You pay securely to confirm the booking and follow the job from booked to done in the app, no phone tag. House Fly covers 17 home services in 50+ major US cities.
An hour now beats a flood later. Get your upfront price for a fall plumbing check or water heater flush before the first freeze. Book it on House Fly and sleep warm all winter.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prevent my pipes from freezing?
Disconnect garden hoses, shut off and drain outdoor faucets, add foam covers, and insulate exposed pipes in garages, attics and crawl spaces. Seal drafts near pipes and keep the thermostat at 55 degrees or higher. On the coldest nights, let faucets on outside walls drip and open sink cabinet doors so warm air reaches the plumbing.
At what temperature do pipes freeze?
Pipes in unheated or exposed spaces are at risk once outdoor temperatures drop to about 20 degrees for several hours, though wind and drafts can freeze vulnerable pipes at higher temperatures. Homes in southern cities with pipes in exterior walls or attics are especially exposed during rare hard freezes because they were built with less insulation.
How much does it cost to fix a burst pipe in 2026?
Repairing a burst pipe typically costs $250 to $1,500 in 2026 for the plumbing alone, depending on location and access. Water damage repairs to drywall, flooring and cabinets are extra and can reach several thousand dollars. A fall plumbing check at $100 to $250 is far cheaper insurance against a winter break.
Should I flush my water heater before winter?
Yes, fall is a good time to flush a tank water heater. Draining a few gallons removes sediment that makes the heater work harder, heat slower and wear out sooner during its busiest season. If the drain valve is corroded or the tank is more than ten years old, a plumber can flush it safely for about $100 to $250.
