Guide to Frozen Pipes in Texas
It happened during the February 2021 Winter storm. Make sure it doesn’t happen again! View our guide on how to prevent and repair frozen pipes.
It happened during the February 2021 Winter storm. Make sure it doesn’t happen again! View our guide on how to prevent and repair frozen pipes.
In February, 2021, the sudden freeze which left many Texas homes without electricity also resulted in many frozen pipes and flooded homes. Before this event, most homeowners and businesses didn’t worry about the risk of pipes freezing.
With Winter approaching once more, many homeowners want to be proactive and make sure this cannot happen to them again. So, we’ve put together this guide with all the information you need to know about protecting your home’s plumbing systems.
In order to protect from flood damage caused by frozen pipes, it is imperative that you know how to shut the water off to your home. While frozen pipes can start leaking right away, they will often only start leaking when pipes are thawing.
There should be a main valve just for the house itself.
This valve will usually be in a plastic box in the front flower bed where the water line enters under the foundation (if your home was built before 2010).
If your home was built more recently, there is a greater chance that your water line is behind an access panel in the garage wall or laundry room wall.
If the valve is buried, inaccessible, or difficult to operate, it is best to leave it alone. Deteriorate valves can fail or start leaking if they are disturbed.
If the valve has a round handle, you will shut it off by turning it clockwise until it stops (several full rotations). If the valve has a lever handle, it will rotate clockwise 90 degrees and then stop.
There is a main property shut off valve at the water meter by the street or in the alley behind the house.
In order to turn this valve off, you must remove the lid to the meter can. These are typically round or rectangular black lids next to the street. There is usually a “lock” with a comma-shaped keyhole in the lid. A meter key (or sometimes a screwdriver) can be used to remove the lid.
Behind the water meter will be a little circular valve with a raised notch and little tabs on the sides. A meter tool (or sometimes an adjustable wrench) can be used to rotate the top of this valve clockwise to shut the water off to the house.
You also should have an accessible shut off valve at the water heater.
The water heater valve will be on the pipe going into the right-side inlet of your water heater. If it is not corroded and relatively easy to turn, you can shut the water off to the hot water system here.
This valve may be round-handled or lever-style. Turn the round handles clockwise until they stop to shut the water off (a few full turns). Rotate the lever handle clockwise so that it is perpendicular to the pipe to shut the water off.
Understand the risks of a water heater’s location which can affect water damage, freeze damage and water heater integrity.
In Texas, there is little warning compared to northern climates. The first hard freeze could be a major event. It is best to prepare in December whether it has dipped below 32 or not to avoid the problems that happened in February of 2021.
One of the easiest ways to keep the pipes warm inside the house itself is to properly winterize all outdoor faucets.
If it isn’t possible to keep the house heated due to the power going out for long periods of time, or if the pipes begin to freeze up even after your precautions, it’s time to shut the water off to the house.
The outdoor house faucets are called “frost proof” faucets on houses build over the last 30 years because they shut the water off back inside the wall where it stays warmer and allow water to drain out of the rest of the faucet where it’s more exposed.
If you don’t disconnect the hoses or attachments from these faucets, they cannot function in the way they are designed.
As soon as it starts to dip below freezing, it is a good idea to disconnect everything from the faucets, install Styrofoam faucet covers, and make sure there are no slow leaks.
If there are any other outdoor plumbing fixtures like outdoor kitchen faucets, these need to be shut off at their fixture valves and drained.
The heat of the home and the heat from the ground keep the rest of the plumbing from freezing, so there are a few things you can do to help that heat do it’s job.
Open cabinet doors below fixtures on exterior walls to allow warm air to circulate as close as possible to the pipes.
If possible, keep your thermostat set a little higher. It may be warm enough for you in the living spaces, but the colder it gets outside, the warmer it will need to be inside the house to protect the pipes running through the walls.
As it gets really cold, run water at the fixtures – especially those on the outside wall. Keeping up a steady drip or slow trickle will significantly help keep the pipes from freezing. Make sure you are dripping both the hot and the cold handles on the faucets to prevent a burst pipe on both lines. The colder it gets, the faster you will want to drip the water.
If what you are doing isn’t working, or if you can’t keep the heat on to the house, then it’s time to shut the water off to the house.
Start by filling up the bathtubs with water. You will be able to use this water for emergencies. You can also manually flush your toilets by dumping a bucket directly into the toilet to initiate the siphon.
After you shut your water off following the instructions above, open up the hot and cold faucets throughout the house to bleed down the pressure and help keep any pressure from building up as the residual water in the pipes freeze.
After you are able to get the heat back on or if the weather rises above freezing again and the pipes thaw, you can turn the water back on. You will need to be extremely careful as you are turning the water back on. If any of the pipes burst during the freeze, they will start flooding the house immediately when the water is turned back on.
If what you are doing isn’t working, or if you can’t keep the heat on to the house, then it’s time to shut the water off to the house.
Start by filling up the bathtubs with water. You will be able to use this water for emergencies. You can also manually flush your toilets by dumping a bucket directly into the toilet to initiate the siphon.
After you shut your water off following the instructions above, open up the hot and cold faucets throughout the house to bleed down the pressure and help keep any pressure from building up as the residual water in the pipes freeze.
After you are able to get the heat back on or if the weather rises above freezing again and the pipes thaw, you can turn the water back on. You will need to be extremely careful as you are turning the water back on. If any of the pipes burst during the freeze, they will start flooding the house immediately when the water is turned back on.
If you have a tankless water heater located in an unheated garage, in an attic, or outside in the exterior wall, special care must be taken to protect these units. They have built-in heaters that will protect the inside of the unit from freezing. This will not protect the piping to the unit. It also will not work if the power goes out.
In addition to dripping the hot water faucets, it is a good idea to install heat cable (sometimes called heat tape) and insulate all of the particularly vulnerable piping to and from the tankless water heater. You can find heat cable kits and pipe insulation at most local home improvement centers.
If it gets too cold for the water heater to protect itself from freezing (or if power goes out to the home), taking the following steps may prevent the water heater and external piping from freezing:
If you cannot flow water through the heater in this way, you will need to drain the heater.
If you have a tankless water heater located in an unheated garage, in an attic, or outside in the exterior wall, special care must be taken to protect these units. They have built-in heaters that will protect the inside of the unit from freezing. This will not protect the piping to the unit. It also will not work if the power goes out.
In addition to dripping the hot water faucets, it is a good idea to install heat cable (sometimes called heat tape) and insulate all of the particularly vulnerable piping to and from the tankless water heater. You can find heat cable kits and pipe insulation at most local home improvement centers.
If it gets too cold for the water heater to protect itself from freezing (or if power goes out to the home), taking the following steps may prevent the water heater and external piping from freezing:
If you cannot flow water through the heater in this way, you will need to drain the heater.
If you try to use a faucet and suddenly there is no water coming out on either the hot or cold side, there is a high likelihood you have a frozen pipe. Unless the freeze is on an exposed portion of the pipe, there is no way for you to tell where the pipe is frozen in the wall. It is just a matter of waiting.
A frozen spot may or may not have damaged the pipe. You usually won’t be able to know this until it thaws out and the damaged spot becomes an active leak.
Keep in mind that single-handle shower valves and tub/shower combination valves have a pressure balancer inside of them. This means that if the hot water or cold water is shut off (whether by a freeze or by turning off the water heater valve) then little to no water will come out of that faucet at all (whether you turn it to the hot side or to the cold side).
Here are a few things you can do to attempt to restore flow to a frozen faucet:
IF YOU THAW OUT A FROZEN PIPE, YOU MAY EXPOSE AN ACTIVE LEAK THAT WILL CAUSE WATER DAMAGE TO YOUR HOME UNLESS THE WATER IS TURNED OFF. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO THAW OUT YOUR PIPES IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO IMMEDIATELY SHUT THE WATER OFF TO THE HOME!
If you had a burst/frozen pipe in your home, it is just as important to act quickly with the logistics as it is with the immediate response. Once the water has been shut off and you’ve taken steps to prevent further damage, it is important to document everything. Take photos of everything damaged by the water as well as any exposed plumbing issues.
Go through your insurance policy and reeducate yourself on the particulars – what is covered, what the deductibles are, etc… Using this information, determine whether you will make a claim or not. When in doubt, it is usually a good idea to make the claim. Keep in mind that there may be hidden water damage that will be an added expense to remediate.
Next, you need to think about contractors – plumbers, water damage restoration specialists, drywall installers, etc… You may choose a preferred contractor recommended by your insurance company, but you don’t have to. You are much more likely to get a reputable contractor that will stand behind their work if you shop around and are picky about who you select. Remember to always choose contractors who specialize in their particular field – not generalists.
At Legacy Plumbing, we work for you, the homeowner, and your best interests are our priority. As such, we don’t bill insurance companies directly, but we are happy to provide any follow-up support and information you need as you are submitting the invoice to the insurance company. We can take photos of the work and document it on the invoice as well as provide any breakdown the insurance company needs of the work.
Earlier this year, we interviewed an insurance expert on the aftermath of the 2021 Texas freeze. Read this blog article for some valuable insurance insights.
If you are unsure about the steps above or would like a professional to come out and advise you directly about your house and how to best prepare for freezing weather, just give us a call!
Legacy Plumbing specializes in diagnosing and repairing leaks on residential water and sewer systems. We have over 15 years of experience fixing hidden and complex leaks on homes in Plano, Mckinney, Richardson, Frisco, and the surrounding areas.
Our professionals know what to look for and where the weak spots of the system are as well as conventional DFW construction practices.
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