April 14, 2026 · 6 min read
Houston-area homes are built for heat, not cold. Supply lines run through uninsulated attics and along exterior walls, hose bibs sit exposed, and most of the plumbing has never been stress-tested below freezing. That is why one hard front can generate thousands of burst pipe calls across the region in a single night.
Do this before the front arrives
- Disconnect every garden hose and cover exterior spigots with insulated covers
- Insulate exposed attic and garage piping with foam sleeves
- Locate your main shutoff and make sure the valve actually turns
- Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes
- Set the thermostat no lower than 68 degrees, even if you leave town
During the freeze
Let a pencil-width stream drip from the fixture farthest from your main. Moving water resists freezing, and an open faucet gives expanding ice somewhere to go instead of splitting the pipe. Keep interior doors open so heat circulates evenly.
Pipes rarely burst while frozen. They burst on the thaw, when pressure returns. Stay home and watchful during warm-up if you can.
If a pipe already froze
- Leave the faucet open so melting water has an escape route
- Warm the pipe with a hair dryer or heat lamp, starting nearest the faucet
- Never use a torch, propane heater or open flame
- If you cannot reach the frozen section, shut off the main and call a plumber
If it already burst
Shut off the main, cut power to affected rooms, photograph everything, and get extraction started. A burst supply line can put hundreds of gallons into a house before anyone notices, and drying time depends almost entirely on how fast the water comes back out.