Getting Your Tyler Home Ready for a Hard Freeze

East Texas doesn't freeze often — which is exactly why freezes do so much damage here. Homes built for 100-degree summers have pipes in attics, exterior walls, and crawl spaces with minimal insulation, and one hard night in the teens can burst them by the dozen. A little preparation before the cold arrives beats a very wet February morning.

Before the freeze: the checklist

• Insulate exposed pipes — foam sleeves on any pipe in the attic, garage, crawl space, or along exterior walls. A few dollars in sleeves beats a burst pipe every time.
• Cover hose bibs — disconnect hoses and put insulated covers on every outdoor faucet.
• Know your main shutoff — find it now, while it's warm and dry. Near the street meter, in the garage, or where the line enters the house. Make sure every adult in the house knows where it is.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls during the freeze so warm air reaches the pipes.
• Let faucets drip — a slow drip on the faucet farthest from where water enters keeps water moving through the lines.
• Garage water heaters and washers — keep the garage door closed; unheated garages are burst central.

During the freeze

Keep the thermostat steady day and night — no setback to save a few dollars. If you lose heat, shut the main water off and open faucets to drain the lines; a plumber can talk you through it by phone. And if a pipe does burst, shut the main off first, then call — emergency plumbers work through freeze events, but the call queue gets long, so earlier is better.

After the thaw

Turn water back on slowly and walk the house listening and looking: ceilings, walls, under sinks, the water heater area. Some freeze damage doesn't show until pressure returns. If you find a burst section, shut it back off and call +1 (903) 206-8074.

Did the freeze win anyway? Leak detection finds burst pipes hidden in walls before the drywall tells you.

Older homes in Lindale with pipes in crawl spaces are the classic freeze casualties — insulate them before the warning, not during.