Cold Snap Ready: How New Braunfels Homeowners Can Prevent Frozen Pipes (Before the First 30° Night)

If you’ve lived in the Hill Country long enough, you know that winter here likes to sneak up on you. One day you’re grilling in a T-shirt, the next night a north wind sweeps through Gruene and your pipes are wondering what they did to deserve this. It doesn’t take a week-long freeze for things to go sideways—one hard dip below 32° is enough to crack a line, flood a cabinet, and turn your Tuesday into an emergency. We’ve been on those calls at 3:17 AM with a headlamp and a wet vac. The good news: with a little prep (and a plan for “just in case”), most freeze damage is completely avoidable.

Why pipes freeze here—even in Central Texas

We’re not Minnesota, but a lot of homes around New Braunfels, San Marcos, and Canyon Lake have plumbing that runs along exterior walls, into garages, crawl spaces, or uninsulated soffits. Those spots are fine nine months out of the year. Then a north wind pushes cold air into the wrong corner and—crack—morning coffee becomes crisis management.

Quick story: One of our customers off Walnut Avenue called before sunrise last winter. Their kitchen floor was a skating rink. The “bad pipe” turned out to be a perfectly normal copper line sitting against an exterior wall with a tiny draft sneaking in through the outlet box cutout. A $3 foam gasket and some pipe wrap would have saved their baseboards and their morning.

Your 1-hour prevention checklist (do this before the first hard freeze)

1) Find—then tag—your main shutoff

You never want to be googling “how to shut off water” while a ceiling is dripping. Locate the main shutoff (city meter box or house valve) now. Give the handle a test turn; if it’s stuck, we can free it up or replace it during a quick visit. Tag it so anyone in the house can find it in the dark.

Need a hand? Start here: Leak Detection • Emergency Plumbing

2) Insulate the obvious weak points

• Hose bibbs: Foam covers or frost caps take seconds. Remove hoses so the faucet can drain.

• Exposed lines: Wrap pipes in the garage, crawl space, attic, or behind exterior-wall sinks with proper pipe insulation; tape the seams.

• Water heater lines: If your tank sits in the garage, insulate the hot and cold lines for a few feet from the heater.

If you’ve had repeat issues in one corner of the house, a small reroute or targeted repipe might be the smarter fix: Piping & Repiping

3) Open the air, then trickle the water

• Open cabinet doors under kitchen/bath sinks on exterior walls so warm room air surrounds the pipes.

• Let faucets trickle—both hot and cold—on those same runs. A little flow keeps freeze plugs from forming.

4) Seal sneaky drafts

Look for gaps where pipes penetrate exterior walls, around dryer vents, and behind sink cabinets. Foam gaskets behind outlets/switch plates and a small bead of caulk can raise the temperature inside those cavities just enough to make a difference.

5) Shut down and bleed irrigation

If you’ve got a shutoff for exterior spigots or irrigation, close it and open the outdoor valves to drain pressure. A quick “bleed” can save you a cracked backflow or line.

What to do if a pipe may already be frozen

1. Shut off water to the house (or the zone if you have localized valves).

2. Do not use open flames to thaw pipes—ever. A hair dryer on low, a space heater a safe distance away, or warm towels are your friends.

3. Open the affected faucet slightly to allow meltwater to escape as you warm the line.

4. Call a pro if you can’t see the pipe or don’t know where it froze. Many bursts only show themselves after thawing.

   We can pinpoint the issue fast and repair cleanly: Leak Detection • Plumbing Repairs • Emergency Plumbing

Upgrades that actually prevent repeat freezes

Not every home needs major work. But if the same spot bites you each winter, these are worth it:

Add shutoffs where they help most

Installing quarter-turn valves under sinks and on lines feeding exterior spigots lets you isolate problem runs during a freeze warning—no whole-home shutdown required.

Self-regulating heat cable + insulation

For stubborn north-wall runs, well houses, or crawl space lines near the Guadalupe, heat cable wrapped under insulation keeps temps above freezing without cookin’ the pipe.

Reroute the risk

Got a line in an uninsulated soffit? A short reroute inside conditioned space beats patching drywall and replacing cabinets every other winter. We’ll walk you through options: Piping & Repiping

Winterizing rentals, Airbnbs, and second homes

If you manage a short-term rental near the river, create a simple “freeze night” card for guests: where the shutoff is, which faucets to trickle, and a number to call you (and us). Tag the valves so non-plumbers can find them. We can set this up and walk your cleaner or co-host through it: Plumbing Installations

After a freeze: how to check for hidden damage

• Watch the water meter with all fixtures off; movement suggests a leak.

• Listen for faint hissing behind walls or in slab areas.

• Look for new ceiling stains, cupping floors, or damp cabinet bases over the next week.

• Smell for mustiness in closed cabinets or closets.

Anything suspicious? Book a fast inspection: Leak Detection

Bonus: simple habits that help all winter

• Keep the home at a consistent temp; big setbacks at night can tip borderline pipes into trouble.

• Close garage doors on freeze nights, especially with a water heater or laundry hookups inside.

• Know the “cold corners” of your home and give them extra attention—north walls, shaded sides, and rooms above garages.

Final word: a little prep beats a 3AM panic

Every winter, we see the same pattern: minutes of prep could have prevented hours of cleanup. If you want a no-stress winter, we can walk your property, insulate priorities, tag valves, and leave you with a simple freeze plan that actually works for your house—not just a generic checklist. When the forecast dips, you’ll be ready.

Need help now or want a pre-freeze walk-through?

Start here: Emergency Plumbing • Piping & Repiping • Leak Detection