Winterizing Knoxville plumbing before the first hard freeze

Crawlspace Pipe Insulation

Crawlspace supply lines are the most common frozen pipes in houses built over vented crawlspaces. We fit foam pipe insulation sized to each line, taped at the seams and elbows, and pay extra attention near foundation vents and access doors, where the coldest air enters. Vent covers for the coldest months, and sealing gaps where pipes pass through the rim joist, often do as much as the insulation itself. For a run that cannot be protected any other way, heat tape on a proper outlet is the backup.

Hose Bib Shutoffs

Outdoor faucets freeze first. Frost-free sillcocks need only their hoses removed so the stem can drain. Standard hose bibs need their interior shutoff closed and the faucet opened outside to drain the short run between them, then left open. We check that each interior valve actually closes, since old ones often do not, and that frost-free faucets are pitched to drain. A foam cover is cheap extra protection on the coldest walls, and irrigation systems need their own drain-down before the first freeze.

Vacant Home Drain-Down

A house that will sit empty with the heat off or low needs a full drain-down. The main is shut off, every faucet opened from the top floor down, the water heater drained and its power or gas turned off, toilets flushed and their tanks and bowls emptied, and nontoxic RV antifreeze poured into every trap and toilet so the water seals cannot freeze and crack. We tag the main and leave a checklist, so whoever opens the house in spring knows the order to bring it back.