Hard freeze home prep checklist

A hard freeze does one thing to a house: it freezes water where water shouldn't be, and the ice splits whatever holds it. Outdoor faucets, sprinkler lines, pipes in a cold crawl space, and the air conditioner's drain all hold water that has to be drained or protected before the temperature drops. The other half of the list is the heat: the furnace, the fireplace and the generator have to work, because a freeze is when they're needed and when their failures hurt.

Do the list before the first hard freeze of the year, and run through the quick items again whenever a deep freeze is in the forecast.

The checklist

• Winterize the outdoor faucets: hoses off, inside valves closed, covers on. The pipe that bursts in the wall starts here.
• Winterize the sprinkler system: a blow-out before the freeze, or the backflow preventer cracks.
• Winterize the air conditioner: power off and the top covered, once cooling season is over for good.
• Exercise the water shut-off valves: a frozen pipe thaws into a leak, and the main valve is the only answer.
• Check the windows and doors for drafts: cold air through a gap freezes the pipe behind the wall nearest it.
• Inspect the crawl space: open vents and missing insulation let the cold reach the pipes under the floor.
• Replace the HVAC filter: the furnace is about to run harder than at any other time.
• Inspect and clean the chimney: if the fireplace is the backup heat, it has to be safe to use.
• Inspect the propane tank and lines: a full tank and a clear regulator vent, which ice can block.
• Service the standby generator: an ice storm is the outage that lasts, and a cold battery is the one that fails.
• Test the smoke and CO alarms: space heaters, fireplaces and generators all put the alarms to work.

Tips

• Watch the forecast for the first night below freezing and do the outdoor water jobs the afternoon before, not the morning after.
• Close the crawl space vents for winter, and open a cabinet door under any sink on an outside wall when a deep freeze is forecast, so warm air reaches the pipes.
• Keep the thermostat on, even when the house is empty. A furnace set low is cheaper than a burst pipe.
• Know how to shut the water off and drain the house if the power and the heat fail for days. The main valve and a hot tap opened low in the house are the whole procedure.
• Run the generator's self-test on a cold morning before the season, since a battery that starts it in October may not in January.

FAQ

How do you prepare a house for a hard freeze?

Drain and cover the outdoor faucets, blow out the sprinklers, shut down the AC, seal the drafts, close the crawl space vents, and make sure the furnace, the fireplace and the generator are ready.

At what temperature do pipes freeze?

Pipes in unheated spaces can freeze on the first night that stays well below freezing, and sooner in wind. Don't wait for a number; prepare before the first hard freeze.

Should I leave faucets dripping in a freeze?

A slow drip from the faucet farthest from the main valve keeps water moving and relieves pressure in a deep freeze. It's a backup, not a substitute for draining the outdoor lines.

What should I do if a pipe freezes?

Shut off the main valve, open the faucet the frozen pipe feeds, and warm the pipe slowly with a hair dryer or warm towels. If it's split, it will leak as it thaws, which is why the valve comes first.