Has anyone had pipes freeze and bust?

[Sleeper]

Live up north and don't do shit. The basement heat keeps the pipes warm. All other underground just gotta take the hose off. The hydrants outside have a valve under frost level.

[ceyko]

...in Texas? I've always wrapped outside faucets and pipes and have had good luck. It made me curious with our mild winters if anyone has had it happen.

It's always better to be extra cautious man. Most of my piping is underground or interior though so that helps. However, my Dad has a ton of exposed PEX and had it all spray foamed and he stops air from hitting it.

When he lived in the NE, even a small part that was exposed - but in a garage ended up bursting on him one cold night. He takes 0 chances now and I think that's the way to go. It's (generally) not as consistently cold here in TX, but a few hours of effort and a few dollars can prevent a huge problem.

[mardyn]

After having a Pex line burst (upstairs)at our home in 2013 (although not due to freezing)..,
and then dealing with the ensuing damages and repairs... I'm pretty cautious anytime the weather forecast calls for freezing weather.

We use the styrofoam faucet covers on all outdoor faucets and also adjust several interior faucets to drip mode to prevent pressure build up in case something goes awry.

I'm telling y'all, it was a fu*king mess dealing with the aftermath of broken water line.

mardyn

[jluv]

It's a big concern for me at our new place in CO because we see negative temps on the regular. Most mornings these days it's below zero, and sometimes 15 or 20 below. Most of our piping is in the basement, which stays above freezing always, but I have two faucets outside on the wall. I wrap them in these insulated sock things and then put the styrofoam bucket things over that. One of the faucets is fucked up and leaks a little outside when the temps are above freezing. I wasn't able to get it fixed before the steady winter hit, so now there is a big frozen waterfall under it. I had a plumber come out and tell me he really couldn't do shit until it thaws out. I have to pray that it hasn't already busted inside the wall and will end up leaking inside when it does thaw. To make things worse, I have been leaving the house for two weeks at a time lately, and am down here in TX now. I turn the water off at the valve where it first comes into the house, which is in the basement, and I drain the water, but the same plumber told me It would be best to shut it off at the main valve outside of the house. The problem with that is the access point is on the ground and about the size of a drink coaster, and it's covered in 2-3 feet of snow right now. I dug around a little in the general area but couldn't find it. So ya, I'm nervous that I'm going to get back home next weekend and my basement will be flooded. Live and learn, I guess. Coming from Texas all my life to CO, there's a lot of new shit to figure out in a hurry. I've already heard a few horror stories.

[mstng86]

Just a stupid redneck thought, but what could go wrong if you put a heat source on the pipe overnight.

Suppose you are really paranoid and just want to be safe. Is it a bad idea to just hang one of these on the outside faucet?

[line-em-up]

Just a stupid redneck thought, but what could go wrong if you put a heat source on the pipe overnight.

Suppose you are really paranoid and just want to be safe. Is it a bad idea to just hang one of these on the outside faucet?

Except when the electricity goes off for a day like it does in the wintertime.

[line-em-up]

thats not a real saying

If I just said it, then it's a real saying. :-) Just sayin'