How to get your Texas home ready for winter

Winterizing your home in Texas is vital to prevent burst pipes, HVAC failure, and costly water damage. Following the 2021 freeze, data from the Insurance Information Institute showed that winter storms caused over $15 billion in insured losses, highlighting the importance of early preparation. Key steps include insulating exterior pipes, sealing gaps around windows with weatherstripping, and keeping your thermostat set to at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit. For those with outdoor features, remember to drain sprinkler lines and cover pool equipment to avoid mechanical failure when temperatures drop.

Taking these reasonable precautions not only protects your dwelling but also helps ensure your home insurance coverage remains valid, as many policies exclude damage caused by owner negligence or lack of maintenance.

Protecting your plumbing: How to prevent frozen pipes

Though harsh winters are less common in the Lone Star State, Texas homeowners have learned not to rule them out. With changing weather patterns in recent years — from massive flooding to unexpected snowfall to extended bouts of freezing temps — it’s increasingly important to take steps to protect your home against frozen or burst pipes, which can cause significant damage.

Here’s how to prevent frozen pipes in Texas:

• Keep your thermostat set at 55 degrees Fahrenheit or higher during the winter months.
• During periods of cold temperatures, open all cupboard and vanity doors below sinks to allow warmer air to reach the pipes.
• Hire a plumber to insulate pipes in spaces that aren’t temperature regulated, such as attics and crawl spaces.
• Drip water (slowly) in the farthest faucet from your home’s main valve.
• Drain outside water lines and shut off water to spigots.

Remember, although home insurance covers burst pipes, there are exceptions — including pipes that burst during freezing temps because the homeowner did not take reasonable precautions.

Outdoor maintenance: How to prepare pools, sprinklers, and faucets

Even if temps don’t drop below freezing in the winter, it will likely be cold enough that no one will want to swim for a few months. Winterizing your pool should be part of cold-weather preparation, as it prevents algae growth and avoids imbalanced pH levels.

To winterize your pool:

• Wait until temperatures are consistently below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Thoroughly clean your pool, then check the water chemistry. Adjust as necessary.
• Install a high-quality pool cover, and make sure it fits securely.
• Lower your water level by 6 inches below the skimmer if you have a solid pool cover, or 12 to 18 inches with a mesh cover.
• Prepare all the pool equipment by draining and cleaning filters, pumps, and water lines.
• If equipped, turn on your pool pump’s freeze setting.
• If the freeze setting is not available, keep the pool pump running throughout the winter. Moving water is less likely to freeze.
• Monitor the pool regularly throughout the winter.

Home insurance covers pools in many cases, but if your pool or pool equipment becomes damaged from freezing temps due to negligence, your claim may be denied.

Because there can still be some plant growth during cooler months in Texas, you may not want to turn off your irrigation system entirely. If this is the case, reset the system to winter watering. If you aren’t worried about watering during the winter, you can turn the system off until the spring. However, if a major winter storm is predicted with freezing temperatures, you should drain all the irrigation lines before shutting off the system.

Similarly, you can shut off water to exterior faucets and drain any hoses before a freeze in Texas. 

Finally, trim any trees that pose a risk to your home or vehicles. Limbs can break under the weight of snow and ice.

Pro tip: Make sure you thoroughly review how your home insurance policy covers plumbing — ideally, well before a winter storm. While you should be protected against winter storm-related damage, you must take all the proper precautions, or risk claim denial due to negligence or lack of proper maintenance.

HVAC and insulation: How to keep the heat in

We’ve talked about protecting your pipes and your exterior plumbing, but there’s something else just as important to keep warm: you and your family.

Ahead of the winter season, you should test your furnace to ensure it’s running properly. Every few years, hire an HVAC technician to perform an inspection. Before running your furnace, test all smoke alarms and, if you have gas heat (or any gas appliances), your carbon monoxide detectors.

You can further retain heat in the winter (and keep it out during the summer) by caulking any cracks around doors and windows, adding weatherstripping, and installing draft stoppers around doors. If you’re willing to invest more money in home improvements, you can upgrade your windows (or add storm windows) and improve your insulation. Check the Department of Energy’s insulation recommendations for your region of Texas (there are four different climate zones within the state).

The “Texas Freeze” emergency kit

When temperatures plummet in Texas, there’s a fair chance your home could lose power. Make sure you have some essentials ahead of the winter season to get you through until the power comes back on, including:

• Nonperishable food items (and a manual can opener to access them)
• Bottled water
• Flashlights, candles, and matches
• Power banks for your phone (and make sure they’re charged in advance!)
• Indoor power generators
• Thick blankets and winter clothes

How to prepare for Texas winter power outages

The state of Texas largely relies on its own power grid of natural gas, which was not adequately prepared for the polar plunge of 2021. This led — and could again lead — to rolling blackouts and longer-term power outages during a winter storm in Texas.

To prepare:

• Stock up on supplies during the summer months.
• Charge all your devices and backup power banks the moment a storm is announced.
• Purchase an indoor generator, or get a gas generator to use outdoors as needed.
• Winterize your home well before the cold season begins.

Additional coverages a Texas homeowner should consider

A standard Texas homeowners insurance policy covers your dwelling (home), other structures (such as detached garages and sheds), and personal property against storm damage, including snow and ice. But insurance doesn’t cover everything.

Consider these optional home insurance endorsements to bolster your coverage:

• Water backup coverage: Water backup coverage protects you in the event that your sump pump or septic system freezes and fails during the winter in Texas, leading to water or sewage backup in your home. Otherwise, such water damage is not covered by a traditional home insurance policy.
• Service line coverage: Similarly, service line coverage will cover you if underground utility lines or water and gas supply lines are damaged during a winter storm and need to be repaired. These are also not covered by a standard home insurance policy.

Winterizing mobile homes and older homes in Texas

If you live in a mobile home (manufactured home) or an older home in Texas, you may need to take extra precautions when winterizing. Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Winterizing mobile homes in Texas: Pipes are more likely to freeze in a manufactured home. Make sure all your pipes are insulated, and run water regularly when temps plummet. If you’ll be traveling for several days and are worried that temperatures may drop while you’re gone, shut off the main water valve, the water heater, and the water pump. Turn on all the taps and faucets to a slow, steady drip. Use an air compressor to blow water out of pipes, and empty toilet bowls.
• Winterizing older homes in Texas: Older homes are more likely to require caulking or weatherstripping to seal all gaps around windows and doors. It may be worth updating insulation in the attic and crawl space or purchasing a window insulation kit if you have old, historic windows. You can even install storm windows to improve energy retention without needing to replace the historic windows.

Learn more: Mobile home insurance in Texas

Immediate actions to take when a freeze warning is issued

If the state of Texas — or at least your region of the Lone Star State — issues a freeze warning, take immediate action. Here’s what you can do right away to prepare for a Texas freeze:

• Bring in all outdoor potted plants that are sensitive to temperatures. You can also cover plants in your garden with a frost blanket, as needed. 
• If you keep pets outside, they should come indoors during freezing temperatures.
• Trim any trees with limbs posing a risk to your home or vehicle.
• Review your emergency supply kit to ensure you have everything you need.
• Charge all of your important devices, as well as the external backup batteries.
• Fuel all your vehicles, and make sure you have fuel for your generator. 
• Make sure you have batteries for flashlights and matches for candles.

Frequently asked questions

Do pipes freeze in Texas?

Although temperatures are less likely to dip below freezing in Texas, it can happen. And if your pipes are poorly insulated or your power goes out for an extended period of time, it is possible for pipes to freeze in Texas.

Should I drip faucets during a freeze?

If you’re worried about frozen pipes during a freeze, you can drip faucets. They don’t need to be running fast; a slow trickle should do. However, if you’re home during cold temps and your heat is working properly, you don’t need to waste the water. Instead, you can open cupboard and vanity doors to heat the pipes more easily, and make sure any external pipes (or pipes in unconditioned spaces) are properly insulated.