How to Keep Your Pipes From Freezing: The $60 Winter Kit

By Steve · First Home Fix

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A burst pipe is one of the most expensive surprises a new homeowner can get. Water damage claims regularly run $5,000 to $15,000 or more. The good news: preventing it is cheap and takes about an hour.

Where pipes freeze first

• Outdoor spigots and hose bibs
• Pipes in unheated garages, crawlspaces and attics
• Pipes along exterior walls, especially under kitchen and bathroom sinks

The kit I'd put together for any first winter

What	Why	My pick
Foam pipe insulation	Slows heat loss on exposed pipes in cold spaces	Duck Brand foam pipe covers
Outdoor faucet covers	Insulates spigots that can freeze and split inside the wall	2-pack insulated faucet covers
Wi-Fi water leak sensors	Alerts your phone the moment water hits the floor	X-Sense Wi-Fi leak detector kit

How to use it (about an hour on a Saturday)

1. Disconnect every garden hose and drain it.
2. If you have indoor shut-off valves for outdoor faucets, close them and open the outside spigot to drain it.
3. Put a cover over each outdoor faucet.
4. Measure exposed pipes and snap foam insulation around them. Tape the seams.
5. Place leak sensors under the water heater, washing machine and any sink on an outside wall.

On really cold nights

• Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so warm air reaches the pipes.
• Let a faucet on an outside wall drip slightly. Moving water is less likely to freeze.
• Keep the thermostat at 55°F or higher, even if you're away.

Know where your main water shut-off valve is before you need it. If a pipe bursts, shutting it off fast is the difference between a mop-up and a remodel.