📞 Talk to an Austin plumber now — (512) 555-PLBR

Insulate attic supply lines. Closed-cell foam pipe sleeves on every supply line in unconditioned attic space. Cost: $4.50/foot. A typical 2,000 sqft Austin home needs 175-225 feet, total $785-$1,250. The #1 most impactful pre-freeze install. Heat trace on freeze-vulnerable runs. Self-regulating heat trace cable on the attic lines that froze last time. $385-$685 installed with thermostatic plug. Frost-free hose bibs. Replace standard exterior hose bibs with Woodford 17 or Arrowhead 480. $165 each installed. Foam hose bib covers. $12 each, DIY. Marginal benefit but cheap insurance. Garage and exterior wall insulation. The lines feeding the laundry, garage utility sink, and exterior hose bibs need attention. Often missed in the original build.

The single most important thing you can do today: walk every shutoff in the house and verify it actually turns. Main shutoff at the curb (Austin Water has a curb stop key — green box near the sidewalk; a long T-key works, or a flathead screwdriver against the brass valve). Main shutoff inside the house (usually in the garage, mechanical closet, or where the line enters from outside). Under-sink shutoffs at every fixture. Water heater isolation valve. Washer hookup shutoffs. Older valves seize from non-use. If a valve doesn’t turn easily, it needs replacement — about $145 per shutoff. Better to find out today than at 11 p.m. with water in the ceiling.

When forecast lows are below 28°F for 6+ hours, run the drip protocol. Open every faucet to a thin steady stream (cold and hot side at every fixture — pencil-tip diameter is enough). Open under-sink cabinet doors so house heat reaches the supply lines. Set the thermostat at 65°F minimum, even if you’re leaving. Disconnect garden hoses. Cover exterior hose bibs. Park cars in the garage if it has supply lines (your warmth radiates). Keep interior doors open. The drip protocol works by keeping water moving — moving water freezes much slower than still water — and by relieving pressure if a section does begin to freeze.

Check faucets every 4-6 hours during a freeze event. A faucet that suddenly produces no water means the line is frozen. Take action immediately: leave the faucet open, apply gentle heat with a hair dryer on low to any visible accessible section of the line (start near the faucet and work backward toward the suspected ice plug), call us if you can’t access the frozen section. Catching a freeze before it bursts is the difference between $189 and $2,000+.

1. Shut off the main at the curb. 2. Open every faucet in the house to drain the system. 3. Open the lowest faucet (outdoor hose bib or basement sink) to fully drain. 4. Photograph everything for insurance. 5. Move valuables out of the wet area. 6. Call us at (512) 555-PLBR. 7. Note the time the burst occurred — Texas insurance policies typically require mitigation within 72 hours and the timestamp matters for the claim.

Texas HO-3 policies cover the resulting water damage from a sudden burst but not the line repair itself. Document: time of discovery, photos of the burst location, photos of all damage as it appears (don’t clean up before photos), the plumber’s written repair scope, all receipts. Our standard burst-pipe report meets the documentation requirements for State Farm, USAA, Allstate, Travelers, and Liberty Mutual.