Winterizing Outdoor Plumbing Fixtures in the Texas Hill Country
Hill Country winters are mild most of the time, which is exactly why outdoor plumbing gets overlooked. Kerrville and Fredericksburg typically see their first freeze in early November, and a hard freeze can arrive with only a day or two of notice.
Outdoor fixtures are always the first to freeze. A hose left on a spigot, a backflow preventer sitting above ground, or a bare line running to the well house has nothing protecting it from the cold. Winterizing outdoor plumbing now takes very little time and costs far less than a burst pipe repair later in the season.
Holloway Plumbing has served Kerrville, Boerne, Bandera, and communities across the Hill Country for decades. Here’s how to get your outdoor plumbing ready for the cold, plus when it makes sense to bring in a licensed plumber.
Why Do Outdoor Plumbing Fixtures Freeze First?
Because they sit outside your home’s insulation with little protection from cold air and wind. Water expands as it freezes, and inside a hose bib or exposed pipe that expansion has nowhere to go. The fixture or the pipe behind it cracks, and the leak often doesn’t show until temperatures climb back up.
Hill Country properties have a few extra weak spots.
- Why Does a Connected Garden Hose Cause Frozen Pipes? A hose left attached traps water in the spigot and the pipe behind it. When that water freezes, the pressure can split the pipe inside your wall, even on a frost-free spigot. You may not see the damage until spring, when you turn the water on and find a leak behind the siding.
- Do Hill Country Homes Have More Exposed Plumbing? Many do. Pier-and-beam foundations, older ranch homes, and properties with guest houses or barns often have water lines running through crawlspaces or above ground. Those lines sit in colder air than plumbing inside a slab home, so they freeze sooner.
- Can a Backflow Preventer Freeze? Yes. Irrigation backflow preventers usually sit above ground near the house, with brass valves and small test cocks exposed to the weather. A freeze can crack the body of the device, and a cracked preventer will need to be repaired or replaced before your irrigation system can run again in spring.
- How Do I Protect My Well System From Freezing? Start with the pump house, pressure tank, and any exposed line between the well and your home. Those parts sit outside and freeze long before your indoor plumbing does. A frozen line at the well can leave your whole house without water until it thaws or is repaired.
How Can a Plumber Help Winterize Your Outdoor Plumbing?
A licensed plumber will find the outdoor fixtures and exposed lines most likely to freeze and fix the weak spots before the first hard cold snap. Holloway Plumbing offers upfront pricing and same-day service, so you’ll know what each repair involves before any work begins.
- Repair or Replace Leaking Hose Bibs: A spigot that drips or won’t shut off fully is holding water right where it can freeze. Your plumber will repair it or replace it with a frost-free hose bib, which shuts the water off inside the warmer part of the wall.
- Insulate Exposed Pipes: Your plumber will wrap exposed lines in crawlspaces, under pier-and-beam homes, and along exterior walls, and recommend heat tape where it makes sense. They’ll also point out any lines that should be rerouted or replaced.
- Test and Protect Your Backflow Preventer: Holloway offers backflow testing, and your plumber will confirm the device is working properly before winter. They’ll also show you how to drain and insulate it so a freeze doesn’t crack the valve body.
- Check Your Well Pump and Pressure Tank: For homes on a private well, your plumber will inspect the pump, pressure tank, and exposed supply lines, then recommend insulation or a heat source for the well house. If your pump is already struggling, fall is a far easier time to repair it than the middle of a freeze.
- Add Shutoffs to Seasonal Lines: Outdoor showers, outdoor kitchen sinks, and lines to barns or guest houses often go unused all winter. Your plumber will locate or install a dedicated shutoff so you can drain those lines for the season.
- Schedule a Plumbing Inspection: An inspection will catch slow leaks, worn valves, and aging pipes that are most likely to fail in a freeze. It’s a smart step for older homes and any property with long runs of exterior plumbing.
How Do You Winterize Outdoor Faucets Yourself?
You can handle most outdoor winterizing in an afternoon with a few inexpensive supplies.
- Disconnect, drain, and store every garden hose before the first freeze
- Close the indoor shutoff to each outdoor spigot, then open the spigot outside to drain it
- Cover hose bibs with insulated faucet covers from any hardware store
- Wrap exposed pipes in foam insulation, especially in crawlspaces and well houses
- Drain your irrigation system and backflow preventer following the manufacturer’s instructions
- Seal gaps where pipes enter the house with caulk or spray foam
- Find your main water shutoff and confirm it turns freely
- Drip an indoor faucet on an exterior wall on nights forecast to drop well below freezing
These steps cover most homes. If your property has long exterior runs, a private well, or plumbing that has frozen in past winters, it’s worth having a plumber take a look before the cold arrives.
Get Your Outdoor Plumbing Ready Before the First Freeze
An afternoon spent on your hoses and spigots this month will spare you a much bigger repair once winter settles in.
Start with the easy part. Disconnect your hoses, cover your outdoor faucets, and walk your property looking for bare pipes. If a spigot drips, your backflow preventer looks damaged, or your well house has uninsulated lines, call a plumber now while scheduling is still easy.
Holloway Plumbing proudly serves Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Boerne, Bandera, Comfort, Center Point, Ingram, Fair Oaks Ranch, Hunt, and communities throughout the Texas Hill Country. If a pipe does freeze, 24/7 emergency service is available. Call (830) 483-8588 or schedule your service online.