Arkansas doesn’t freeze often, but when it does, a busted pipe is a mess you don’t want.

Quick answer Before the first freeze, disconnect and drain your hoses. Close the indoor shutoff valve for each outdoor faucet, then open the outside faucet to drain it and leave it open. Insulate pipes in crawl spaces, garages and attics. During hard freezes, let a faucet on exposed pipes drip, open sink cabinets, and keep the heat at least 55°F if you’re away.
How to Winterize Outdoor Faucets and Pipes
Photo: MarkBuckawicki / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Tools & materials

  • Pipe sleeves (foam pipe insulation) or UL-listed heat tape
  • Outdoor faucet covers (optional)
  • Flashlight for the crawl space

Steps

  1. Hoses off. Disconnect, drain and store garden hoses.
  2. Shut off the supply. Find the indoor valve that feeds each outdoor faucet (often in a basement, crawl space or utility area) and close it.
  3. Drain the faucet. Open the outside faucet to let the water out, and leave it open so any water left in the line has room to expand.
  4. Insulate. Wrap pipes in unheated spaces like crawl spaces, attics, garages and exterior walls with pipe sleeves or UL-listed heat tape. Add insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces where you can.
  5. Sprinklers and pools. Drain sprinkler and pool supply lines according to the installer’s directions. Don’t add antifreeze unless directed.
  6. When a hard freeze hits: keep garage doors closed, open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors (move cleaners out of kids’ reach), let cold water drip from faucets on exposed pipes, and keep the thermostat at the same setting day and night.
  7. Going away? Leave the heat on, set no lower than 55°F.
  8. If a pipe freezes (only a trickle comes out): keep the faucet open and warm the pipe with a hair dryer, heating pad, space heater kept away from anything flammable, or towels soaked in hot water. If you can’t find or reach the frozen spot, or can’t thaw it, call a licensed plumber.
Safety: Never thaw a pipe with a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or any open flame.

From https://www.djgaston.com/winterize-outdoor-faucets/ · Updated October 22, 2026