If you skip this before the freeze, you’ll be replacing pipes

Every year, people think a light freeze won’t cause any real damage—until they wake up to no water and a burst pipe flooding the floor. Freezing temperatures don’t have to last long to cause serious problems.

Once water inside your pipes freezes, it expands and cracks the line, leaving you with a mess that’s expensive and time-consuming to fix. The good news? Preventing it is easy if you handle a few key things before the first freeze hits.

Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses

One of the biggest mistakes people make is leaving their hoses connected through winter. Even if the spigot itself is frost-proof, trapped water inside the hose or faucet can freeze and back up into the pipe inside your wall. Once that happens, the expansion has nowhere to go but outward—and that’s when pipes split.

Take the time to disconnect every hose, open the spigot, and let any remaining water drain out. If you can, buy an insulated faucet cover. They cost a few bucks and can save you hundreds in repairs.

Insulate exposed pipes

Pipes in unheated areas—like attics, crawl spaces, or garages—are the first to freeze. Even a small draft or cold corner can drop the temperature enough to cause damage. Foam pipe insulation is cheap, easy to install, and can make a huge difference in how long your plumbing holds up in the cold.

Focus on spots where pipes are close to exterior walls or where cold air seeps in. If you’ve got pipes running through a barn or shop, don’t skip those either—especially if there’s a sink or wash station out there.

Keep a slow drip going

Running water doesn’t freeze as easily as still water. During hard freezes, open one or two faucets on opposite sides of the house to a slow drip. It doesn’t need to be much—just enough to keep movement in the lines.

This is especially important if your home sits on a slab or has long pipe runs that aren’t well insulated. The slight increase in your water bill is nothing compared to the cost of replacing burst pipes and repairing drywall.

Open cabinets and interior doors

Most people forget that the pipes under their sinks are often along exterior walls. When cabinet doors are closed, warm air can’t circulate around them, and that small difference can be all it takes to freeze the water inside.

Open the cabinet doors under your kitchen and bathroom sinks during freezes to let heat reach those pipes. If you have rooms that stay colder than others, leave the interior doors open to keep air moving throughout the house.

Don’t shut off the heat completely

If you’re leaving town or have a part of your home you rarely use, don’t drop the thermostat too low. Anything under 55°F puts your pipes at risk. The cost of keeping the heat on is far less than what you’ll pay to fix the damage from a rupture.

If your home uses a wood stove or space heaters as backup heat, make sure they’re safe and working well before the first cold snap. Consistent warmth matters more than how you get it.

Seal up drafts and gaps

Cold air sneaking into crawl spaces, basements, or under doors can cause localized freezing in spots you’d never think to check. Use spray foam, weather stripping, or caulk to seal those small gaps where cold air seeps in.

Check where pipes enter exterior walls or floors, especially around hose bibs, dryer vents, and cable lines. A few minutes with a can of foam insulation can save you a world of trouble later.

Drain outdoor water systems

If you have irrigation lines, outdoor sinks, or animal watering systems, shut them off and drain them before winter. Even buried lines can freeze if they’re shallow or not well insulated.

For livestock or garden setups, switch to heated water buckets or frost-free hydrants that are designed for freezing weather. It’s an upfront investment, but it keeps you from hauling water in buckets when everything else is frozen solid.

Know how to shut off your water fast

Even with good preparation, things can still go wrong. Knowing where your main water shutoff valve is—and how to use it—can make the difference between a small leak and a major flood.

If a pipe bursts, the first step is to kill the water immediately. Practice finding and turning off the valve before you ever need it. If it’s outdoors or in a crawl space, keep a flashlight or wrench nearby for quick access.

Wrap it up before it’s too late

Freezing damage doesn’t announce itself—it happens quietly overnight, and by morning, you’ve got a soaked floor and a plumber’s bill you didn’t see coming. Prepping your pipes before the first freeze isn’t complicated or expensive, but it makes all the difference when temperatures drop.

If you do nothing else, disconnect the hoses, insulate the exposed lines, and keep a steady drip when it’s cold. Those few small steps can be the difference between a minor chore and a major repair. Because once that water expands inside your pipes, it’s already too late.