Keeping pipes from freezing in frozen weather especially when power is out:

Remove all hoses and adapters from outdoor faucets. Cover the faucets with styrofoam cover (hardware stores sell these) or wrapped tightly with rags or towels.

Know where the water hookup is into the house. Make sure any exposed pipe is wrapped with insulation, especially if it's inside a cold garage or outside. Know how to turn the water off.

Inside, open all the cupboards under sinks. You want to expose the pipes to the room temperature.

Find the faucet farthest away from where it comes into the house. When temp is 32 or below, or forecast to be under 32 at night, drip the water thru the faucet. Drip water that is half cold, half hot so that both sides of the plumbing is used. If the forecast is 20 or below, you can go beyond the drip and have a small stream (pencil lead-sized) running. If the sound of drips drive you crazy, tie a string or piece of yarn at the end of the faucet and guide the water down into the sink. The water will follow the string quietly down into the sink. If you can't drip water (water source is out), consider turning off the water at the hookup. Then open all the faucets and run as much standing water out of the pipes as possible.

If water is left to sit in pipes and it freezes, the ice will expand inside and can crack the pipe. That's why you want to drip the faucet, to keep the water moving so it won't freeze. If you can't do that, you want to remove as much pressure from inside the pipes as possible. Turning the water off at it's source and keeping the faucets open removes that pressure.

If your pipes do freeze, you don't get damage right away. It's when the ice inside the pipe thaws that you have water spraying out of the crack(s) under pressure. This water can then ruin drywall, siding, flooring, cause all types of damage. If you suspect frozen pipes or see water damage, turn the source of the water off asap. Sometimes the frozen section will thaw without damage when temps rise, make sure to keep all the faucet taps open to remove the pressure on the pipes.

Last year I saw youtube videos of water damage in Texas during their freak weather. One had a women in her kitchen in shock as the floor above her collapsed with water rushing down. Another, a church sanctuary was ruined from water damage. If they had just had the water dripping or if it was frozen, had they known to turn the water off at the source, they wouldn't have had that damage.

I live in a cabin in the mountains and had to learn the hard way to deal with frozen pipes. It can be scary but there are steps that help.

Keeping pipes from freezing in frozen weather especially when power is out: Remove all hoses and adapters from outdoor faucets. Cover the faucets with styrofoam cover (hardware stores sell these) or wrapped tightly with rags or towels.

Know where the water hookup is into the house. Make sure any exposed pipe is wrapped with insulation, especially if it's inside a cold garage or outside. Know how to turn the water off.

Inside, open all the cupboards under sinks. You want to expose the pipes to the room temperature.

Find the faucet farthest away from where it comes into the house. When temp is 32 or below, or forecast to be under 32 at night, drip the water thru the faucet. Drip water that is half cold, half hot so that both sides of the plumbing is used. If the forecast is 20 or below, you can go beyond the drip and have a small stream (pencil lead-sized) running. If the sound of drips drive you crazy, tie a string or piece of yarn at the end of the faucet and guide the water down into the sink. The water will follow the string quietly down into the sink. If you can't drip water (water source is out), consider turning off the water at the hookup. Then open all the faucets and run as much standing water out of the pipes as possible.

If water is left to sit in pipes and it freezes, the ice will expand inside and can crack the pipe. That's why you want to drip the faucet, to keep the water moving so it won't freeze. If you can't do that, you want to remove as much pressure from inside the pipes as possible. Turning the water off at it's source and keeping the faucets open removes that pressure.

If your pipes do freeze, you don't get damage right away. It's when the ice inside the pipe thaws that you have water spraying out of the crack(s) under pressure. This water can then ruin drywall, siding, flooring, cause all types of damage. If you suspect frozen pipes or see water damage, turn the source of the water off asap. Sometimes the frozen section will thaw without damage when temps rise, make sure to keep all the faucet taps open to remove the pressure on the pipes.

Last year I saw youtube videos of water damage in Texas during their freak weather. One had a women in her kitchen in shock as the floor above her collapsed with water rushing down. Another, a church sanctuary was ruined from water damage. If they had just had the water dripping or if it was frozen, had they known to turn the water off at the source, they wouldn't have had that damage.

I live in a cabin in the mountains and had to learn the hard way to deal with frozen pipes. It can be scary but there are steps that help.

Keeping pipes from freezing in frozen weather especially when power is out: Remove all hoses and adapters from outdoor faucets. Cover the faucets with styrofoam cover (hardware stores sell these) or wrapped tightly with rags or towels. Know where the water hookup is into the house. Make sure any exposed pipe is wrapped with insulation, especially if it's inside a cold garage or outside. Know how to turn the water off. Inside, open all the cupboards under sinks. You want to expose the pipes to the room temperature. Find the faucet farthest away from where it comes into the house. When temp is 32 or below, or forecast to be under 32 at night, drip the water thru the faucet. Drip water that is half cold, half hot so that both sides of the plumbing is used. If the forecast is 20 or below, you can go beyond the drip and have a small stream (pencil lead-sized) running. If the sound of drips drive you crazy, tie a string or piece of yarn at the end of the faucet and guide the water down into the sink. The water will follow the string quietly down into the sink. If you can't drip water (water source is out), consider turning off the water at the hookup. Then open all the faucets and run as much standing water out of the pipes as possible. If water is left to sit in pipes and it freezes, the ice will expand inside and can crack the pipe. That's why you want to drip the faucet, to keep the water moving so it won't freeze. If you can't do that, you want to remove as much pressure from inside the pipes as possible. Turning the water off at it's source and keeping the faucets open removes that pressure. If your pipes do freeze, you don't get damage right away. It's when the ice inside the pipe thaws that you have water spraying out of the crack(s) under pressure. This water can then ruin drywall, siding, flooring, cause all types of damage. If you suspect frozen pipes or see water damage, turn the source of the water off asap. Sometimes the frozen section will thaw without damage when temps rise, make sure to keep all the faucet taps open to remove the pressure on the pipes. Last year I saw youtube videos of water damage in Texas during their freak weather. One had a women in her kitchen in shock as the floor above her collapsed with water rushing down. Another, a church sanctuary was ruined from water damage. If they had just had the water dripping or if it was frozen, had they known to turn the water off at the source, they wouldn't have had that damage. I live in a cabin in the mountains and had to learn the hard way to deal with frozen pipes. It can be scary but there are steps that help.