The newsletter gave you the quick tip this week. This is the full walk-through.
DFW winters are short, but they’re sneaky. We go from 70 degrees to a hard freeze in 48 hours, and the houses here aren’t built for sustained cold the way northern homes are. An hour of prep now beats a burst pipe later.
Start with your gas service
This part comes straight from Atmos Energy’s winter warm-up checklist, and it’s the highest-leverage ten minutes on this list:
- Sign up for text alerts through your Atmos account, so you hear about service issues before you’re standing in a cold house wondering.
- Look into Budget Billing, which evens out your winter bills so January doesn’t ambush you.
- Find your gas meter and keep it clear of brush, leaves, and debris.
- Know that you own the gas piping from the meter into your house. Give it a visual once-over for wear or damage.
- If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call Atmos from outside. Don’t hunt for the source first.
- Thinking about upgrades? Atmos offers rebates on high-efficiency natural gas appliances in parts of Texas. Details are at atmosenergy.com/rebates.
Alarms first, everything else second
Test every smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarm in the house. Replace batteries now, not when they start chirping at 2 a.m. in January. Carbon monoxide alarms wear out sooner than smoke alarms, so check the manufacture date on the back. If any unit is past its listed lifespan, replace the unit. They expire.
Pipes: the 2021 lesson
Anyone who was here for the February 2021 freeze remembers what burst pipes can do to a Texas house.
- Insulate exposed pipes in the attic, garage, crawl space, and exterior walls. Foam sleeves are a few dollars at any hardware store.
- Disconnect garden hoses from hose bibs and drain outdoor faucets. Frost-free sillcocks only drain properly with the hose off, so don’t skip this.
- Know where your main water shutoff is before you need it. If a pipe bursts, minutes matter.
- In a hard freeze, let faucets on exterior walls drip and open cabinet doors under sinks so warm air reaches the pipes.
Heating system
- Service your furnace or heat pump before the first cold snap, not during it. HVAC companies book out fast once temperatures drop.
- Change your air filter. A clogged filter makes the system work harder and heat less.
- Reverse your ceiling fans to spin clockwise on low. It pushes warm air back down instead of letting it pool at the ceiling.
Seal the envelope
- Walk the house on a windy day and feel for drafts around windows and doors. Weatherstripping and caulk are cheap fixes that cut drafts right away.
- Check the attic insulation level while you’re up there. If you can see the joists, you need more.
- Clean the gutters so winter rain drains instead of pooling against the foundation.
Fireplace and chimney
If you have a wood-burning fireplace and haven’t used it since last winter, get the chimney inspected and cleaned before the first fire. Creosote buildup is a real fire risk, and a blocked flue will fill the house with smoke.
The weekend version
Short on time? Do these five and you’ve covered the big ones: test the alarms, find the gas meter, drip the faucets when it freezes, change the HVAC filter, and disconnect the hoses. Future you says thank you.
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Know the Neighborhood, Not Just the House
I’m Jamie Marancenbaum, and I help people buy and sell homes across the DFW area. A good move is about more than square footage and comps. It’s about the streets, the schools, what’s being built down the road, and the stories behind the places you drive past every day. That’s what I write about here, and it’s what I bring to every client.
Thinking about buying, selling, or just curious what your home is worth today? Get your free home value at jmarancenbaum.cbapex.com, or reach me anytime at (469) 417-9661 or [email protected].
Jamie Marancenbaum, REALTOR® | Midtown Market Group | Coldwell Banker Apex | Texas License #0645858
18260 Preston Road, Suite 110, Dallas, TX 75252
Richardson | Prestonwood | Far North Dallas | Addison | DFW Area
More than real estate. It’s Home.
