Keep the house at 55 degrees or above even when away, let faucets drip during hard freezes, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, insulate exposed pipe, and disconnect garden hoses before the first freeze.
Before Winter
- Insulate exposed pipe in garages, attics, crawlspaces, and unheated additions. Foam sleeves are inexpensive and go on in an afternoon. This is where nearly every New Mexico freeze failure happens.
- Disconnect garden hoses and drain the bibs. A connected hose traps water right at the valve, and that accounts for a large share of freeze breaks.
- Install frost-proof hose bibs or insulated covers on exterior faucets.
- Seal air leaks around rim joists, foundation vents, and wall penetrations. Wind driving through a gap freezes a pipe far faster than still cold air, and this step gets skipped constantly.
- Locate your main shutoff and confirm it turns.
During a Hard Freeze
- Let a faucet drip — ideally the one furthest from where water enters the house. This relieves the pressure that actually bursts pipes, since the break comes from water compressed between an ice blockage and a closed tap.
- Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm room air reaches the supply lines.
- Keep the thermostat steady day and night. Setting back overnight during a freeze saves a little gas and risks a great deal of water damage.
- Keep the garage door closed if there is plumbing in there.
If You Are Traveling
Never set the thermostat below 55 degrees. Better still, shut off the main and drain the system, or arrange for someone to check the house. An unheated house during a New Mexico cold snap is how a vacation turns into a flooded return.
Why We Get Caught Here
Albuquerque and Santa Fe winters are mild on average and sharp at the extremes. A 60-degree afternoon can be followed by a hard overnight freeze, and local homes are frequently built with less freeze protection than colder climates require.
Professional Help
We provide pipe insulation, winterization, and plumbing evaluations. Care Club members get routine inspections that catch vulnerabilities before the cold arrives.
