Houston can take the heat but sometimes we look like sissies when it gets cold. Here’s how to wrangle a hard freeze like a pro.
First off: If you’re in the Houston area reading this while actively dealing with frozen pipes, leaks, flooding, or fires, CALL NOW at 281-336-1888
ABC Restoration is on call 24/7 to help you stop the damage and start the recovery process.
Houston, let’s be real: when the heat hits in August, we’re sipping iced tea and scrambling eggs on the sidewalk with no problem, but a few hours below 32 degrees and we’re acting like it is our first rodeo. Frozen pipes, power outages, and icy driveways you can’t back out of? No sir, partner, that is not for us.
This guide is your crash course in surviving a freeze without losing your cool. By the end, you’ll know just what to do, and be ready to lean back, tip your hat down, and relax when the cold front blows in.
1. Ahead of Time: Freeze Prep Like You Mean It
Wrap those outdoor pipes and faucets
Winterizing a house in Houston sounds about as necessary as putting on sunscreen when you’re skiing. Nonetheless, it is actually wise to do both. In Houston, if your PVC pipes are uninsulated inside your house or outside your house, you might have a ticking time bomb on your hands. Throw on an insulated cover or use a towel and duct tape combo if you’re feeling scrappy.
Stock your pantry with cowboy-worthy provisions
If the power goes out, get your cowboy hats on, because we’re going back to cooking like it’s the Wild West. If you have a gas stove,* soup, pasta, beans and rice, grilled or pan-cooked meals are the way to go. If you don’t have that you’ll be down to canned or dried meals, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and other bread-based meals.
*(Fun Fact: “Now we’re cooking with Gas” was a slogan popularized in the 1930s to sell gas appliances).
Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors = Life Savers
If you’re heating with a fireplace, space heater, or generator, make sure your alarms are working and that their batteries or backup batteries are working. Otherwise, things might get heated on your cozy night in.
Locate your water main valve.
It's just good practice to know where it is but if it comes to an emergency, you do not want to run a few laps around the outside of your house in your Christmas jammies when it is below freezing. The water main valve is usually outside. It is worth checking the insulation on the pipe and valve, since it is exposed to the elements in both summer and winter.
Have a Fire Extinguisher on Hand
It may seem like a given but… it needs to be said. Also, heads up, fire extinguishers "Expire" and may not work when you need them most. So check the expiration!
2. Take Action the Night Before the Freeze
- Option A: Leave faucets dripping. A slow drip can save you from a burst pipe indoors or outdoors.
- Option B: Go all-in: Shut off the water main and drain your pipes. If you want maximum protection, turn off the water main. Once the water is off, open all your faucets at the same time to drain the pipes. If you just open them one at a time, it’s like the water cooler that has no air hole, it leaves most of the water trapped in the jug.
3. If the Power Goes Out: Brace Yourself
Or… WHEN the power goes out…ERCOT’s track record isn’t exactly reassuring. Here’s what to do:
Bundle up like it's duck season. Which it probably is if you’re reading this.
It’s safer to skip the candles. Flashlights are not as romantic, but they certainly beat housefires.
Save your fridge: Keep the fridge + freezer closed as much as you can to keep the contents from spoiling. You’ve probably thought of sticking your milk jug on the porch when it’s icy outside— No one is going to stop you.
Close Your Blinds and Curtains: It may not seem like much but keeping blinds and curtains closed can keep the Texas heat outside when it is hot just as much as it can keep heat inside when it is cold.
If You Didn’t Make it on Santa’s Nice List and a Pipe Still Bursts or a Fire Gets Frightful
Even if you follow every tip to the letter, sometimes winter still wins. When that happens:
Turn off your water main valve if it's a burst pipe, or call the fire department if its a fire, obviously.
Then:
Call ABC Restoration BEFORE your insurance company at 281-336-1888
Here’s the deal: your insurance adjuster is usually not on your side, deep down. Their job is to pay out as little as possible. Asking you to get three bids? That’s the code for “we’re trying to pick the cheapest option who will do the least amount of work.” Call us first, and we’ll make sure you get the coverage you deserve for anything from water extraction to mold remediation, fire damage to smoke cleanup.
Be a gentleman, save a pipe or a home, and share this post if it was helpful or made you smile.
Until next time, take care, partner.