The pipes that burst in a Philadelphia cold snap are almost always the ones you never think about: the run along an exterior wall, the line in an unheated garage, the hose bib you forgot to drain in October.
Start outside. Disconnect and drain every garden hose, and shut the interior valve that feeds each outdoor spigot. A single trapped cup of water is enough to split a bib when it freezes.
Inside, insulate any exposed pipe in the basement, crawlspace, or garage with foam sleeves - they cost a few dollars and install in seconds. On the coldest nights, let a pencil-thin trickle run from the faucet furthest from your main; moving water is far harder to freeze.
Know where your main shut-off is and make sure it turns freely before you need it in the dark. If a pipe does burst, shutting the main in the first thirty seconds is what keeps a repair from becoming a renovation.
Run through this list once before the first hard freeze and you have eliminated the overwhelming majority of winter emergencies. If you would rather we winterize the house for you, that is a flat-rate visit - book it before the season turns.
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