Frozen and Burst Pipes in Fort Worth: Prep Now, Help When It Happens

When is the first freeze in Fort Worth?

The DFW area's average first freeze is around November 22, and the earliest on record came on October 22. Prepare now, not the night the forecast turns.

NOAA expects a very strong El Niño this winter, which usually means a wetter, stormier Texas winter. Ice is still possible, as the February 2021 storm showed. Pipes in unheated spaces are most at risk when it stays in the low 20s or colder for several hours, and wind makes it worse.

Where pipes freeze in Fort Worth homes

Attics

Many slab homes in the Fort Worth area run some supply lines through the attic. Attic air gets nearly as cold as outside. Lines near the eaves freeze first, and a burst up there comes down through the ceiling.

Exterior walls and garages

Closed cabinet doors keep warm air away from sink pipes on outside walls. In garages, lines to water heaters and washer boxes often run along uninsulated walls.

Slab homes: where the pipe leaves the ground

Pipes under a slab are protected by the soil. The weak points are the exposed risers: where the main line comes up beside the foundation and the pipes to outdoor faucets. (A slab leak here usually comes from shifting clay, not a freeze.)

Pier-and-beam and older homes

Riverside, Oakhurst and Six Points have many homes from the 1920s to the 1960s, Haltom City has plenty of older houses too, and historic Fairmount homes often sit on pier-and-beam. Those pipes run through a cold crawl space, and in older homes many are galvanized steel that's corroded inside and cracks easily.

Hose bibs and sprinklers

Outdoor faucets are the most common freeze point. A connected hose traps water in the faucet, so even a "frost-free" hose bib can split inside the wall. Sprinkler lines and the above-ground backflow assembly are exposed too.

Freeze prep checklist

Before the first freeze warning:

• Find your main water shut-off and make sure it turns. It's usually in the meter box near the street (you may need a meter key) or where the line enters the house, often near a front hose bib or in the garage. Tag it.
• Disconnect hoses and cover every hose bib.
• Fit foam insulation on exposed pipes in the attic, garage, crawl space and outside walls.
• Seal gaps where pipes pass through outside walls, and cover crawl-space vents.
• Drain the sprinkler system per its instructions and cover the backflow assembly.

On a freeze night:

• Keep the heat at 55°F or higher, even when you're away.
• Open sink cabinets on outside walls and keep the garage door closed.
• Let faucets on outside walls, or fed by attic lines, drip slightly, hot and cold.
• Leaving town? Turn off the water heater, shut off the main and open the faucets to drain the lines.

How to thaw a frozen pipe safely

Signs: a faucet that gives a trickle or nothing, frost on the pipe, or a swollen-looking pipe.

1. Check the pipe first. If it's bulging or split, or you see water, shut off the main before thawing. A cracked pipe leaks the moment the ice melts.
2. Open the faucet the pipe feeds so melting water has somewhere to go.
3. Warm it gently from the faucet end back toward the frozen section, using a hair dryer, a heat lamp or towels soaked in hot water. A space heater is fine if it's kept clear of anything flammable and never left unattended.
4. Keep going until full pressure returns, then check the whole pipe for drips.

If a pipe bursts: do this first

1. Shut off the main water valve. Can't find it or it won't turn? Call (817) 755-5621 and we'll talk you through it.
2. Open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the lines.
3. Turn off the water heater: breaker off for electric, pilot for gas. Smell gas? Don't touch it or any switch. Leave the building and call 911 or Atmos Energy's emergency line from outside.
4. Keep clear of water near outlets and appliances. Only use the breaker panel if you can reach it from a dry spot.
5. Move valuables, soak up what you can and take photos for your insurer.
6. Call us. For a burst pipe our on-call plumber is sent right away, day or night (24/7 emergency plumbing).

What we do for frozen and burst pipes

• Thaw frozen lines in attics, walls, crawl spaces and garages
• Repair burst or cracked pipes
• After-thaw leak detection and checks on the yard line from the meter
• Repiping when older galvanized lines keep failing

We're based at 955 N Sylvania Ave in Riverside and serve Fort Worth, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Saginaw, Lake Worth, Benbrook, Kennedale and Burleson.

Frozen pipe FAQs

Get ready before the first freeze, or get help when it hits