Getting your Minnesota home ready before the first deep cold snap

Pipes freeze most often during the first real cold of the season, when temperatures fall from the 30s to below zero in a few days. Homeowners haven't adjusted yet: hoses are still connected, the garage door gets left open, and nobody has thought to open the sink cabinets.

Minnesota winters reliably bring nights below 0°F, and wind makes them worse on the side of the house it hits. Taking care of a few simple tasks in the fall prevents most of the frozen-pipe calls that come in during that first week.

Start with outdoor faucets. Disconnect every hose, because a hose holds water against the spigot and can keep even a frost-free sillcock from draining. On older spigots, close the shutoff valve inside the basement and open the outdoor faucet to let it drain.

Shut down and blow out lawn irrigation systems before the ground freezes. Walk the foundation and look for gaps where cold air can reach pipes, such as openings around the water line, cable entries and dryer vents, and seal them. Keep crawl space vents closed in winter if your home is built that way.

Go to the basement on a cold day and follow the water lines with a flashlight. Insulate exposed pipes near the rim joist and along outside walls. Look for any pipe in an unheated space, like an attached garage ceiling, a porch, or a crawl space under an addition.

Upstairs, check sinks on exterior walls. On very cold nights, open the cabinet doors to let room heat reach the pipes, and let a thin stream of water run from faucets on those walls. Keep the thermostat steady day and night rather than turning it way down while you sleep.

Seasonal places around Lake Minnetonka and up north are where the most expensive freezes happen, because nobody is there to notice the furnace has stopped. For a cabin that will sit unheated all winter, the safest approach is to winterize it fully: shut off the water, drain the lines and the water heater, and have the system blown out with compressed air.

Plumbers commonly pour non-toxic plumbing antifreeze, the kind sold for RVs and cabins, into sink and tub traps and toilets so the water left in them can't freeze. Never use automotive antifreeze in plumbing. Shut off the water heater's power or gas following the manufacturer's directions before draining it. If you'd like a plumber near you to winterize a cabin, book it well before the weather turns.

If you keep a vacation home heated over winter, set the thermostat to at least 55°F and leave interior doors and sink cabinets open so warm air circulates. Shut off the main water valve when you leave, which limits damage if something does freeze.

Add a backup plan. A wifi thermostat or a standalone temperature sensor can send an alert if the house gets cold. Leak sensors under sinks and near the water heater add another layer, and an automatic water shutoff valve can close the main if it detects a leak. Ask a neighbor or property manager to check in during long cold stretches.

Even well-prepared homes sometimes freeze during a long, severe cold stretch. If a faucet stops working, open it, warm the area with safe, gentle heat and look for splits before the water comes back. Never use a torch or open flame on a pipe.

If you find water, close the main valve, stay away from wet electrical equipment and call. A local plumber serving Minnetonka will call you back to help find the frozen section and repair any damage.