When it gets cold in the Northern US, people are used to it and are prepared. But in South Texas, we rarely get seriously cold days. When we do, we can be caught off guard. We at the BestSAHomes Real Estate Team care about our clients and want to share with you our team’s advice on how to protect your home during a hard freeze.
These are the items that should be done before a freeze in our area.
Remember San Antonio area homes are NOT built for freezing weather.
Water items:
• Freezing water can crack, break or destroy plumbing pipes and fixtures.
• Drain all outside hoses and disconnect from hose bib or outside spigot.
• Pots of plants will crack if wet dirt is in them.
• Hose bibs need to be covered BUT it is good to keep them dripping,
so drip and then cover.
• Any outdoor plumbing like outdoor kitchen and such should be drained and
BLOWN OUT. Water still in pipes that do not completely drain can break
the pipe.
• Indoor plumbing that is not on an external wall does not need to drip. Only
plumbing on the outside walls like a bathroom on the north wall side.
Set Your Faucets to Drip
• If any of your indoor faucets are located on exterior walls that aren’t
adequately insulated, set your faucets to a slow drip whenever temperatures
dip below freezing. Make sure both the hot and cold lines are opened slightly.
Remember to check the drip late before bed. When
everybody has their faucets dripping the water pressure can drop and your drip
may stop. So just check before bed.
• Damage can also come from cold air getting into the attic from the soffit
openings. How do you cover them? Anything will do, cardboard, tape,
plywood. Remember it only needs to be covered for a few days.
Learn How to Shut Off Your Water at the Meter in case of a pipe burst
after a freeze:
• Know where your water meter is located and keep a meter key or a crescent
wrench in a known location in case you need to need to shut off your water at
the meter.
CARS:
• Check antifreeze and if you must add some, you must run the car for 15 mins
to circulate the antifreeze. Also turn on the heater to get the antifreeze into the
heater core. There is a cheap tool that checks antifreeze.
• The window wash tank: it will freeze and bug wash is not rated below 32
degrees. Add rubbing alcohol to the wash and 16 oz alcohol to 1 gal. bug
wash/window wash. You will lose that tank if you don’t protect it. Also run
the washer a few times to get the alcohol into the pump and the lines.
Around the house:
• Lawn Sprinkler system/Irrigation backflow device. Brass dome thing that is
part of the irrigation system. Turn it off, that means the irrigation system, but
either wrap the dome or take it apart. Remember pipes up to it and down
often will have water in them. Insulate them well or they can crack and split.
A smart move is to turn off the water to the irrigation system and then run one
zone for a minute to get the water out of the riser.
• Power washer you keep covered outside or in the cold garage? Drain the
water, it will split that pump to pieces.
• Latex paints? Keep them above 32 degrees or they will be worthless.
Plants:
Move inside if you can, dig up as many as you can, it is better to replant than to rebuy.
Cut back and wrap the base of plants you Know will be damaged like Hydrangeas.
Cover as best you can and remember it is the cold wind and the cold under the
blanket from the ground air that is a killer. You want to wrap it around and below
the plant so no wind enters.
Run Ceiling Fans in Reverse
Reversing your ceiling fan helps force warm air back down into your living space.
There’s generally a small switch on the fan to change directions. This is a great way
to save on energy during the winter months.
Inspect Fireplaces Before Using Them
Depending on how often your fireplace is used, it should be cleaned and inspected
every year or two. Ignoring your fireplace could lead to a chimney or house fire due
to creosote build up. Inspections can also reveal any dangerous structural or
operational issues with your fireplace.
Leaving town?
Be sure to make your own list and run through this checklist. Adjust your
thermostat so that your home is kept above freezing and check in with a neighbor to
let them know you’ll be away.
Really leaving for a while? turn off the water and “BLOW OUT” the water lines
with air. Add antifreeze to the toilets and drains.
Good luck.
Published on 2021-02-11 15:58:07
