Turn off sprinkler system supply line.
I turned mine off then ran each zone for a few seconds to make sure there wasn't any pressure. Sure was nice using the new Rachio app for this!

I will be turning off the water to my refrigerator tomorrow. The small copper line runs through the attic. I did insulate it, but I am not confident that it will be enough.

I have also opened the cabinet to the sink in one of my bathrooms. It's pipes are in an outside wall. It has frozen before, but didn't bust the pipe.

Western Travis County....Spicewood area

Thought of another one.

If you are in a newer home with an exterior mounted tankless water heater you need to do something. Most units have a flow sensor so you can drip/small stream hot water without the thing coming on to heat. Should do that. Most installations I see have minimal insulation around the pipes. They definitely can and will freeze. Another option is the incandescent bulb inside the compartment with the pipes below the unit.

Ice causes deadly conditions on roads through Dallas, Fort Worth

A massive pileup killed at least three people on I-35W near downtown Fort Worth as a winter weather advisory remains in effect throughout the region, KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported.

Record breaking storm?

All time record low for Texas is -23. The Euro has a -22 showing up on it in NE Panhandle, This should be interesting

agracer said:

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This thread is funny...

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hoping we hit zero degrees soon! It'll be a nice warm up!

We have a vacant house that's being remodeled on our street in Dallas. Doesn't look like anyone has done any cold weather prep. A neighbor and I turned the water off at the street last week because their sprinklers were broken and running for over a day.

Would it make things worse if I went over and drained the pressure from their lines? If I had extra faucet covers, I'd just do that.

posted in the other thread, but I am worried about my exposed pipes in the attic. An older house and they arent wrapped or anything.

I went ahead and wrapped my pipes going to the hot water heater in my attic, may be overkill but pretty cheap insurance (hopefully)

AustinCountyAg said:

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posted in the other thread, but I am worried about my exposed pipes in the attic. An older house and they arent wrapped or anything.

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Can you run space heaters up there?

my hot water heater is in the utility room in our garage.

AustinCountyAg said:

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my hot water heater is in the utility room in our garage.

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As long as the unit is heating and you are moving some water through it, it should be fine.

MouthBQ98 said:

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agracer said:

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This thread is funny...

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FWIW, they don't design or build infrastructure for these conditions as 99% of the time it is an unnecessary expense. I imagine they don't design A/C systems to handle freak 104F summer days in Montana, either.

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Some places there dont even have AC.

This is obvious, but don't park your car under a tree. I just finished hacking my way to my neighbors Escalade with a chain saw. Not my tree thank goodness.

Drip outside faucets, or are the styrofoam covers good enough?

AustinCountyAg said:

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Drip outside faucets, or are the styrofoam covers good enough?

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It's getting down to 12 in North Houston. I am turning water off and draining lines before I go to bed.

Absolute said:

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barnyard1996 said:

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These are known to pop on sprinkler systems Make sure they are insulated.

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Sorry, if you are in an area that requires the stupid above ground backflow valve you do need to insulate that. Not even sure how you drain it, but it wouldn't be a bad idea. Luckily in Dallas ours are in the ground.

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There are 2 control handles on this unit.. blue handles.
Both are parallel with the lines. Turn them to be perpendicular.
Then on side of brass bell you'll see two small valves. These valves usually have a little flat head screw on them which opens and closes the valves. Turn this screw till valves are open and a little water should drain out. Again turn off control lines first before doing this or you'll have a lot of water shooting out.
Then wrap brass piece with towels or some sort of insulation

Here is a handy YouTube link:

Get this kind of cover at Home Depot. Too late for Amazon

Backflow Preventers Protection, 16"W x 20"H Backflow Winter Cover, Insulated Cover Pouch for Irrigation Backflow Valve, Sprinkler Valves in Snow or Sun Exposure, Winterizing Backflow Preventers Sand https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WNZN84L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_2E3SWKPRA076GJDQSWD8

trip98 said:

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Absolute said:

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barnyard1996 said:

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These are known to pop on sprinkler systems Make sure they are insulated.

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Sorry, if you are in an area that requires the stupid above ground backflow valve you do need to insulate that. Not even sure how you drain it, but it wouldn't be a bad idea. Luckily in Dallas ours are in the ground.

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There are 2 control handles on this unit.. blue handles.
Both are parallel with the lines. Turn them to be perpendicular.
Then on side of brass bell you'll see two small valves. These valves usually have a little flat head screw on them which opens and closes the valves. Turn this screw till valves are open and a little water should drain out. Again turn off control lines first before doing this or you'll have a lot of water shooting out.
Then wrap brass piece with towels or some sort of insulation

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I wrapped mine in dish towels, stuck the styrofoam deal over the faucet part, and then wrapped it again in trash bag to keep it dry. Is that enough? I'm capable of following your instructions but want to make sure thats a good idea with the pool running nonstop

I don't know how a pool ties into all of it so can't say for that.
Just make sure u have insulation on all pipes and wrap the brass backflow bell with towels. Can't hurt to cover that with garbage bag to keep it dry but not necessary

Carl Hungus said:

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trip98 said:

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Absolute said:

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barnyard1996 said:

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These are known to pop on sprinkler systems Make sure they are insulated.

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Sorry, if you are in an area that requires the stupid above ground backflow valve you do need to insulate that. Not even sure how you drain it, but it wouldn't be a bad idea. Luckily in Dallas ours are in the ground.

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There are 2 control handles on this unit.. blue handles.
Both are parallel with the lines. Turn them to be perpendicular.
Then on side of brass bell you'll see two small valves. These valves usually have a little flat head screw on them which opens and closes the valves. Turn this screw till valves are open and a little water should drain out. Again turn off control lines first before doing this or you'll have a lot of water shooting out.
Then wrap brass piece with towels or some sort of insulation

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I wrapped mine in dish towels, stuck the styrofoam deal over the faucet part, and then wrapped it again in trash bag to keep it dry. Is that enough? I'm capable of following your instructions but want to make sure thats a good idea with the pool running nonstop

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pool running is a closed system (loop). What that pic above is for is specific to your sprinkler system. Not related or tied in at all. Throw some beach towels or mexican blankets over the whole thing (tape them down if you need to)... needs more than dish towels. Definitely have trashbag for waterproofing. You don't want a frozen towel or blanket after rain on pipes to make sure they are nice and frozen.

For what it's worth, insulation only slows down heat loss and does not eliminate it. If it stays below freezing for an extended period, you're going to need a heat source (like heat tracing) to keep sprinkler equipment from freezing.

AustinCountyAg said:

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posted in the other thread, but I am worried about my exposed pipes in the attic. An older house and they arent wrapped or anything.

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On your access door going into the attic, crack it open enough to let warm air go up there if you're worried about it. Maybe prop open with an empty can or bottle. Hot air goes up.