Frozen Pipes in Houston: Winter Storm Prep and What to Do If They Burst

Why Houston Pipes Freeze So Easily

Homes in northern climates are built with water lines run deep inside insulated interior walls and buried well below the frost line, because freezing temperatures are a routine part of the winter. Houston homes are built for our climate instead — pipes often run through uninsulated exterior walls, attics, and garages, and outdoor hose bibs and irrigation lines sit fully exposed.

That means it doesn't take an extended deep freeze to cause damage here. A single night at or below freezing, especially with wind, is often enough to freeze exposed lines that would never be a concern in a home built for cold weather. When water freezes inside a pipe, it expands — and that expansion is what cracks copper, PVC, and even PEX lines, whether or not you ever see ice on the outside.

Before a Freeze: How to Protect Your Home

Disconnect and drain all garden hoses, and shut off and drain any exterior irrigation backflow preventer. Wrap exposed outdoor spigots with foam insulation covers, and insulate any pipes you can access in the garage, attic, or crawl space with foam pipe sleeves — inexpensive at any hardware store and effective for the short, hard freezes Houston typically sees.

Open the cabinet doors under sinks located on exterior walls so warm household air can reach the pipes underneath. If temperatures are forecast to drop into the mid-20s or lower, let a pencil-thin stream of water drip from at least one faucet on each affected line — moving water is far less likely to freeze solid than standing water.

If you'll be away during a forecast freeze, don't turn your heat off or set it dramatically lower — keep the thermostat at a minimum of 55°F, and if possible have a neighbor check on the home.

Know Where Your Main Water Shutoff Valve Is — Before You Need It

This is the single most important piece of freeze prep, and it's often skipped. Every homeowner should know the exact location of their main water shutoff valve, and confirm it turns freely, before a freeze event — not while water is actively flooding a room. It's typically located where the water line enters the house, near the water meter at the street, or in a garage or utility area. If you've never located or tested yours, do it today, not during the next cold snap.

If a Pipe Bursts: What to Do First

Shut off the main water valve immediately — this is the single most effective thing you can do to limit damage, and it should happen before you call anyone. Next, shut off electricity to any affected area if water is near outlets or fixtures, and move to protect electronics, furniture, and valuables from the immediate area.

Take photos of the damage for insurance purposes once it's safe to do so, then call a licensed plumber. During a citywide freeze event, plumbers across Houston get flooded with calls — literally — so the sooner you call, the sooner you'll get on the schedule. If the burst pipe is causing active flooding and you can't reach a plumber immediately, some homeowners also shut off water at the street-side meter valve as an extra precaution.

After the Freeze: What to Check

Even if nothing burst, a hard freeze is worth a follow-up check. Look for water stains on ceilings or walls near exterior-facing plumbing, check under sinks for slow leaks that may not show up for days, and test outdoor spigots for reduced flow or dripping once temperatures rise, which can indicate a hairline crack that hasn't fully failed yet. Catching a partial freeze crack early is far cheaper than dealing with a full burst months later when it finally gives way.

Lasting Fixes for Freeze-Prone Areas of Your Home

If the same section of pipe freezes every winter storm, that's a sign of a recurring vulnerability worth fixing permanently rather than re-wrapping every year. Options include rerouting exposed lines into conditioned interior space, adding heat tape along persistently exposed runs, or upgrading insulation in the attic or crawl space where the line travels. A licensed plumber can assess your home's specific freeze-prone points and recommend the most cost-effective permanent fix.

Lessons From Recent Houston Winter Storms

Houston has seen multiple significant winter storm events in recent years that knocked out power to large parts of the region for days at a time, and the plumbing damage in each case followed the same pattern: homes lost heat for an extended period, exposed and marginally insulated pipes froze solid, and many didn't fail until temperatures began rising again and the ice inside the pipe expanded further before finally cracking the line.

That delayed-failure pattern is one of the most important and least understood parts of freeze damage. A pipe can freeze on the coldest night of the storm and not actually burst until a day or two later as things thaw, which is why continuing to check for leaks after temperatures rise — not just during the freeze itself — is a critical habit for Houston homeowners.

The other consistent lesson from these events is that plumbers get overwhelmed with calls almost immediately once a hard freeze hits, and demand can stay high for days afterward as delayed failures show up. Homeowners who prepped in advance — insulating pipes, knowing their shutoff valve, keeping a slow drip running — consistently fared better than those who didn't, simply because prevention doesn't require getting a plumber on the phone during the busiest week of the year.

What to Do if You Lose Power During a Freeze

A power outage during a hard freeze raises the stakes, since your home's heating system stops working right when you need it most. If you lose power, keep faucets on affected lines dripping as long as you safely can (this requires working plumbing, which is unaffected by a power outage, though a well pump or some tankless water heaters do need electricity). Close off unused rooms and keep interior doors open so what heat remains in the home reaches vulnerable areas like a laundry room or a bathroom on an exterior wall.

If the outage stretches into a second day and temperatures remain below freezing, consider whether it's safer to relocate temporarily rather than risk a burst pipe with no way to respond quickly. If you do leave, shutting off the main water valve before you go eliminates the risk of a burst pipe flooding an empty house while you're unable to get back to it.