How to Winterize Your Seattle Home’s Pipes

Seattle doesn’t experience the extreme winters found elsewhere in the country, but even a brief cold snap can freeze unprotected home’s pipes and lead to costly damage. A few preventive steps each fall can save you from that call.

Insulate Vulnerable Pipes

Pipes running through unheated spaces, crawlspaces, garages, and exterior walls, are most susceptible to freezing. Wrapping these with foam pipe insulation is a simple, low-cost step that significantly reduces freeze risk during a cold spell.

Disconnect Outdoor Hoses

A garden hose left connected to an exterior spigot traps water that can freeze and expand back into the pipe, sometimes cracking it. Disconnect hoses and, where possible, shut off and drain exterior spigots before the season’s first hard freeze.

Locate Your Main Shutoff Valve

If a pipe does freeze or burst, knowing exactly where your main water shutoff is located, and being able to access it quickly, limits how much damage occurs before help arrives. Confirm now that it operates smoothly, rather than discovering an issue during an emergency.

Let Faucets Drip During Extreme Cold

On nights with a forecasted hard freeze, allowing faucets connected to vulnerable pipes to drip slightly keeps water moving through the line, reducing the likelihood it freezes solid.

Seal Gaps Around Pipe Entry Points

Small gaps where pipes enter the home, particularly near crawlspace or foundation openings, allow cold air to reach otherwise protected pipes. Sealing these with caulk or expanding foam is a quick, inexpensive fix.

Open Cabinet Doors During a Freeze

For pipes running beneath sinks along exterior walls, opening cabinet doors during a cold snap allows warmer indoor air to circulate around them, adding protection at no cost.

Consider Heat Tape for Persistent Risk Areas

For pipes in consistently exposed locations, particularly unheated crawlspaces, electrical heat tape offers additional protection during Seattle’s coldest stretches of the year.

Know the Signs of a Frozen Pipe

Reduced or absent water flow from a specific fixture during cold weather often indicates a freeze in progress. Rather than attempting to thaw it yourself, which risks bursting an already-weakened pipe, it’s best to call a professional.