Pre-Fall Plumbing Checklist for Fort Worth Homes

Why September is the right time

Fort Worth's first hard freeze typically arrives mid-November to early December. From a plumbing standpoint, September is the right time to catch problems — it's cool enough that you'll notice issues (water heater behavior, outdoor spigot condition, hose-bib leaks) that summer heat masked, and it's early enough that you have time to fix anything you find before cold weather actually arrives.

Running this checklist takes an hour. Catching one real problem now can save you a $2,000 freeze damage repair in January.

Outdoor spigots and hose bibs

• Check every outdoor spigot for leaks and drips. Hard water, UV exposure, and summer heat take a toll on the washers and seals. A spigot that's slowly dripping now will be a frozen-and-cracked spigot in December.
• Disconnect garden hoses — not just when it freezes, but now. Water trapped between a connected hose and a closed spigot is the #1 cause of frozen-and-cracked outdoor piping in DFW. Disconnect, drain, store the hose.
• Test each spigot's shut-off valve inside the house if you have one. Many Fort Worth homes have an interior shut-off for each exterior spigot — turn it off, open the exterior spigot, make sure water fully drains. If the valve is seized, now's the time to deal with it.
• Check for frost-proof spigots. If your home is newer and has frost-proof spigots (long shank going into the wall, so the water shut-off is inside the heated space), make sure they're actually draining. Open each one briefly — if water keeps coming after a few seconds of being shut off, the spigot is faulty.

Water heater — the whole-house check

Fall is when water heaters get stressed. Incoming water gets colder, so the heater runs more often and longer to deliver the same hot water. If yours is on the edge of failure, this is when it'll give up.

• Drain and flush the tank. Attach a hose to the drain valve, run it to the outside, open the valve, let the tank drain. Sediment that accumulates at the bottom over the year reduces efficiency and can crack the tank. 15-minute DIY, extends tank life by years.
• Check for moisture around the base. A faint dampness means a slow leak starting — call before it becomes a flood.
• Test the T&P relief valve. Lift the lever briefly; water should discharge, then stop when you release. If no water comes out, or water keeps dribbling after release, the valve needs replacement.
• Look at the age. If the heater is 10+ years old, start pricing out a replacement now rather than being surprised when it fails in December. Winter failures mean weeks of waiting and sometimes premium pricing.

Interior plumbing — the quick walkthrough

• Check under every sink for signs of moisture, mildew, or water staining on the subfloor or cabinet bottom. Catch slow leaks before fall humidity drops amplify any damage.
• Run every rarely-used drain for 30 seconds. P-traps dry out from evaporation in heated homes, and dry P-traps let sewer gas smell up the house. 30 seconds of water fills the trap and seals it.
• Flush every toilet and watch for slow refills, running water, or leaks around the base.
• Test the water pressure at an outdoor spigot with a $10 pressure gauge. 55–65 PSI is healthy. Below 40 or above 80, something's off and worth looking at before heating season.

Pipe insulation for exposed runs

Walk the perimeter of the house. Look for:

• Water lines exposed in the garage, especially where they enter from outside
• Pipes in the attic (common in Texas homes without basements)
• Pipes in crawlspaces
• Any pipe you can see from outside the heated envelope

Any exposed water line that will see below-freezing air during a hard freeze needs insulation. Pipe foam insulation is $1–$3 per 6-foot section at any hardware store. Easy DIY — slit along the pre-cut seam, snap it around the pipe, tape the joints. Takes 15 minutes to do the typical house's worst spots. We cover this in more detail in our winter pipe insulation post.

Irrigation system shutdown prep

You don't need to shut the sprinkler system down yet — but start thinking about it. Fort Worth sprinkler systems should be winterized before the first hard freeze (typically late November). The process involves closing the main valve to the system, draining the backflow preventer, and (for some systems) blowing out the lines with compressed air. If you have a service plan with the irrigation company, confirm your winterization date now. If you don't, schedule one.

Things worth having a plumber look at before winter

• Any water heater over 10 years old showing any symptoms
• Any slow drain that's been getting worse through the summer
• Any outdoor spigot that drips or won't fully shut off
• Any pressure problems you've been living with
• Any plumbing fixture you were going to replace eventually — "eventually" is cheaper and easier in October than in January