Getting your pipes ready for a south Georgia freeze

Freezing nights do happen here. NOAA's 30-year climate averages show about 21 nights a year at or below freezing at the Fort Stewart weather station, about 30 near Glennville and about 42 at a station south of Jesup, most of them from December through February.

And on January 21 and 22, 2025, a winter storm brought snow, sleet and freezing rain across southeast Georgia. The National Weather Service office in Charleston reported widespread totals of 2 to 5 inches of snow and sleet, with less near the coast.

Which pipes freeze first

The American Red Cross says the pipes most likely to freeze are outdoor hose bibs, pipes in unheated crawl spaces, attics and garages, and pipes along outside walls with little insulation.

Before the cold comes

• Unhook and drain garden hoses. If an outdoor faucet has a valve inside the house, close it, then leave the outdoor faucet open so it can drain.
• Cover outdoor spigots with an insulated cover, often called a boot.
• Wrap exposed pipes, outdoors and in the crawl space, with pipe wrap or pre-slit foam tubes. Insulate the hot and cold lines both.
• Find your main water shutoff now, and make sure you can get to it. Here is how to find it and test it safely.
• On a well, UGA Extension advises checking the small line, usually about a quarter inch, that runs to the pump's pressure switch. A plastic one can freeze and burst.

On the cold nights

• Let cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes. Even a trickle of moving water helps.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warmer air reaches the pipes, and move cleaners out of children's reach while the doors are open.
• Keep the thermostat at the same setting day and night. If you will be away, leave the heat at 55 degrees or higher.

If a pipe freezes anyway

Keep the faucet open while the pipe thaws, and warm it with a hair dryer, a heating pad or warm towels. Never use a torch, a propane heater or any other open flame on a pipe. If you cannot find the frozen spot or cannot reach it, the Red Cross says to call a licensed plumber.

Keep a hair dryer or heating pad away from any water. If the pipe is in a wet crawl space or is already leaking, do not use anything that plugs in. Shut off the main and call a licensed plumber.

Once it warms back up, turn off the dripping faucets and keep an eye on your water meter. EPA's WaterSense program suggests reading the meter before and after a two-hour stretch when no water is being used. If it moves at all, you probably have a leak.

We work Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. If a cold snap leaves you with a split pipe or a leak, shut off the main and give us a call.

Sources: NOAA climate normals, Fort Stewart, Glennville 3NW and Jesup 8 S; National Weather Service Charleston, Storm Courier 2025; American Red Cross, frozen pipes; UGA Extension, winterizing your home; UGA Extension, winterize pipes; EPA WaterSense.