01/24/2026
Hello Friends:
Just thought these below tips were helpful in protecting your home/ rental property for severe cold weather.
With temperatures expected to drop below freezing freezing this upcoming weekend, Saturday into Monday, January 24th through January 26th, we wanted to remind you to take steps to protect your home and stay safe. Some areas around Houston may experience even colder conditions, so it’s a good idea to prepare now if you haven’t already.
Stay informed by checking local weather updates, avoid driving if conditions worsen, and follow these tips to help safeguard your home:
- Keep your home heated to at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
- At least one inside faucet, preferably more, should drip lukewarm water so that both hot and cold pipes are involved.
- Wrap outside faucets/pipes with insulating material (foam insulation from a hardware store, cloth, towels, will all work) and duct tape.
- Open interior doors to rooms, cupboards, and vanities to allow warm air to circulate around pipes during the hard freeze conditions.
- Disconnect all hoses from outside faucets.
- If you notice a leak in your home, please shut off the main water line right away to prevent further damage to the property.
- All faucets should be checked before you retire for the evening and again in the morning.
- If you are going to be away for any length of time, a friend/neighbor should be asked to check pipes (you might furnish them with emergency telephone numbers). They should also be equipped to turn the water off to the property also,
- Store water for emergency use.
- If your power goes out, turn off all major appliances.
- Please be careful when going up and down the steps, as ice may form. In addition, please be careful when walking along - sidewalks and/or driveways as well.
- Keep pets inside.
SPRINKLER SYSTEMS:
-Please review and follow the guidelines presented in this article: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/lawns/reviews/how-to-winterize-a-sprinkler-system
-If you have a Backflow Preventer, the following video may be helpful: https://youtu.be/2d0dJK8HLoo
If you have a POOL on your property, you should be prepared for different actions with or without power.
POOL- WITHOUT POWER
If there is no power to your equipment — either from you shutting it off or from a loss of power because of the weather — follow these steps:
If you need additional visual guidance, the following video may be helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kHhlvj7zik
- Make sure all equipment has been shut off and that the breakers to your equipment have also been turned off.
- Open the air relief valve on your pool’s filter.
- Remove the drain plugs from the front and rear headers of your pool heater. If you have a heat pump, remove those drain plugs too.
- Remove the lid and drain plugs from your pump.
- Remove the drain plugs from the filter or any other unit, such as a leaf trap, that holds water, including in-floor system water valves.
- Remove the top on Jandy valves, check-valves, or other valves. If necessary, open the valves so water can move down the pipe.
- Put empty plastic gallon jugs in your pool to take up ice expansion and protect your pool tiles or finish from freezing weather. Make sure each jug has a bit of rock or sand in it to give it weight (but not full) so it breaks the surface of the water but is not fully submerged. You can also use inflatable pool floats or anything else that can absorb pressure. You can even place a weighted 5 gallon bucket on your steps or hanging over the edge in the pool. Again, the bucket must break the surface of the water.
- Put an empty plastic drink bottle (if a Gizzmo is unavailable) in the skimmer to protect it. The bottle should have enough weight to stay partially submerged, but it should not be full. You can use sand or rocks for weight. Do the same for in-deck chlorinators or deck debris traps for in-floor cleaners.
- If there is an auto leveler, wrap a towel around the vac break (backflow preventer) to prevent damage.
POOL- WITH POWER
Another option to prepare your pool for incoming extreme winter weather focuses on running your pool pump and filter continuously — starting before the water begins to freeze and continuing throughout the entire freeze period.
Important: This option is not without risks to the equipment. If a power outage occurs during extreme weather conditions, your equipment will be in jeopardy. When your equipment loses power for even a brief amount of time, it’s possible that water inside your equipment can freeze, which can cause severe damage.
If you choose the option of continuously running your pool pump and filter, here are the necessary steps:
- Prior to freezing weather and low temperatures, clean or backwash your pool filter. This ensures proper water flow during the cold.
- Run your pool pump and filter continuously. Moving water freezes more slowly.
- If you have a variable speed pump, run it at higher speeds throughout the freeze period to ensure proper water flow.
- Listen to your pump motor. If it makes a loud noise during operation, there may be trouble with bearings. As soon as the temperatures get above freezing, have the motor serviced by a professional.
- Insulate plumbing lines with blankets or towels to prevent freezing. Even pool noodles can serve as good insulation around pipes.
- Open all lines to ensure proper water flow. If a valve is shut off, no water will be flowing through that pipe and there is the danger of freezing damage.
- Warning: Do not use any type of electric heaters, electric blankets, portable gas heaters, or heat lamps on or near your pool pump and filter as they can damage equipment or cause a fire.
POOL PRO TIP: As long as freezing water has somewhere to go in the plumbing, there will not be any damage. On the pool water surface or in skimmers, the goal is to not allow a single, complete sheet of ice. Air pillows, Gizzmos, and plastic jugs will help absorb the pressure from freeze expansion. DO NOT attempt to break apart ice sheets on your own. Not only is it dangerous for you, it also exposes sharp edges which can cause irreversible damage to pool surfaces.emperatures expected to drop below freezing freezing this upcoming weekend, Saturday into Monday, January 24th through January 26th, we wanted to remind you to take steps to protect your home and stay safe. Some areas around Houston may experience even colder conditions, so it’s a good idea to prepare now if you haven’t already.
Description:Don't let the freeze damage your pool equipment! ❄️ In this quick 5-minute tutorial, we’ll show you simple yet effective steps to protect your po...
