Houston freeze prep: the home checklist.

Houston doesn't freeze often, which is exactly why a hard freeze does so much damage here — pipes run through attics and exterior walls, sprinklers and pool equipment sit exposed, and few homes are built for it. Here's what to do now, the day before, during and after a freeze, based on the City of Houston's own guidance and the lessons of Winter Storm Uri.

By GivvBack · Updated 2026-10-02

What Winter Storm Uri taught Houston

In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri pushed the Texas grid into rolling blackouts that left more than 4.5 million homes and businesses without power, some for days. State health officials counted at least 246 deaths, most from hypothermia. When the power went out, pipes froze and burst across Houston, and the City issued a boil-water notice after water pressure collapsed.

It also caused what Harris County's judge called a “disaster within a disaster”: carbon monoxide poisoning from people heating homes with cars, grills and generators. Hundreds of Harris County residents ended up in emergency rooms. Most of the damage — and nearly all of the danger — was preventable.

The City's rule of thumb: the four P's

The City of Houston Office of Emergency Management frames freeze prep as four P's: people, pets, pipes and plants.

People: Check on elderly neighbors and anyone with medical needs. The City opens warming centers during hard freezes — know where the nearest one is before you need it.
Pets: Bring pets inside. If an animal has to stay out, give it a dry, insulated shelter out of the wind.
Pipes: Insulate exposed and attic pipes, cover outdoor faucets, and know where your main shutoff is. Details below. Plumbing in Houston
Plants: Bring potted plants inside and cover tender shrubs with frost cloth or sheets — not plastic touching the leaves. Landscaping in Houston

Don't drip your faucets — here's what Houston says to do instead

Most freeze advice online says to drip your faucets. Houston Public Works asks residents not to during a citywide freeze. Houston's water system runs on ground-level pump stations, not water towers, so if hundreds of thousands of homes drip at once, pressure drops for everyone — including fire hydrants. Instead, the City recommends:

Know where your main water shutoff is, and that it actually turns. If you're worried pipes will freeze, shut off the water and drain the lines before the freeze.
Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes.
Shut off the water to a washing machine in an unheated garage.
Cover outdoor faucets (hose bibs) with an insulated cover, and disconnect garden hoses.
Wrap attic and exterior-wall pipes with foam pipe insulation, and give extra protection to any pipe that has frozen before.

Plumbing in Houston

Protect the outside of the house

Sprinkler backflow preventer: this is the part that bursts most often. Turn off the irrigation water supply, drain it, and wrap the backflow assembly in insulation or a water-heater blanket.
Pool: if your pool has no automated freeze protection, run the pump continuously while temperatures are below freezing — moving water doesn't freeze in the pipes. If the power goes out, that protection stops, so plan for it.
Tankless water heaters mounted outside rely on electricity for freeze protection. If you lose power during a freeze, follow the manufacturer's instructions for draining it.
Cover or bring in anything that holds water — fountains, rain barrels, birdbaths.

Landscaping in Houston · Plumbing in Houston

Heat safely — and plan for a power outage

Never run a generator, grill or car inside the house or garage — even with the door open. The CDC says to run generators outdoors, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents.
Put a battery carbon monoxide alarm on every sleeping floor, especially if you have gas heat or a gas water heater.
Space heaters: keep 3 feet of clearance from anything that can burn, plug them straight into a wall outlet (not an extension cord), and turn them off when you leave the room or go to sleep.
If you want a generator connected to the house, have a licensed electrician install a transfer switch or interlock. Plugging a generator into an outlet (backfeeding) can kill a lineworker.
Before the first cold snap, have your heating checked and change the filter — heat pumps and furnaces that sit idle all summer often fail on the first cold night.

Electrical in Houston · HVAC in Houston

If a pipe bursts

Shut off the main water valve immediately.
Turn off the water heater (power for electric, set gas units to pilot) so it isn't heating an empty tank.
Turn off electricity to any area where water is near outlets or fixtures.
Take photos and video of the damage before you clean up — your insurer will want them.
Call a licensed plumber. After a citywide freeze, plumbers are booked for days, so call early.

Plumbing in Houston

Your timeline

This month: Find and test your main shutoff valve. Buy faucet covers and pipe insulation before the stores run out. Get your heating serviced. Put fresh batteries in your CO alarms.
48 hours before a freeze: Insulate exposed pipes, cover outdoor faucets, drain and wrap the sprinkler backflow preventer, disconnect hoses, check on neighbors.
During the freeze: Open sink cabinets on exterior walls, keep the thermostat steady, keep the pool pump running if you have one — and don't drip faucets in a citywide event.
After the freeze: Check for leaks before you turn water back on, walk the attic and the yard, and call a pro fast if anything burst.

Get it done before the cold

Insulating attic lines, adding a shutoff you can actually reach, servicing heat, or a generator hookup are all one-visit jobs — and far cheaper before the freeze than after. GivvBack matches you with one vetted, neighbor-referred Houston pro and one clear quote, free for homeowners.

Quick answers

Should I drip my faucets in Houston during a freeze?

Houston Public Works asks residents not to during citywide freezes, because Houston's pump-station system loses pressure when everyone drips. Insulate pipes, open sink cabinets, and if you're worried, shut off and drain your water instead.

What freezes first at a Houston house?

Usually the sprinkler backflow preventer, outdoor faucets, and pipes in the attic or exterior walls.

Where is my main water shutoff?

In most Houston homes it's in a ground box near the street (the city meter) or a valve where the line enters the house, often near the water heater or an outdoor hose bib. Find it before you need it.

Sources

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