Before and after a freeze

Tacoma Public Utilities gives the clearest local list: insulate exposed pipes and outdoor faucets, drain what you can, disconnect hoses, keep the heat at 55°F or higher, and know your shutoff valve.

Revised November 4, 2026

What to do before the cold arrives

Work through TPU's frozen pipes page. It was written for Tacoma Water customers, and we found no matching list from other South Sound suppliers.

• Insulate pipes, valves and outdoor faucets in cold spots. Check outdoors and in attics, crawl spaces, basements and garages.
• If an outdoor faucet has its own shutoff valve, turn that valve off, then open the faucet to drain it.
• Take garden hoses off outdoor faucets.
• Get irrigation ready for cold weather by turning off the water and draining it. Sprinkler assemblies have their own rules, covered on the backflow and irrigation page.
• Keep the heat on, and set the thermostat to at least 55°F when you leave.
• For a long absence, ask someone to look in each day and confirm the heat still works.

TPU notes that hardware stores carry this material. Another place to compare options is a page of pipe insulation and covers. PlumbingSupplyAndMore is run by the same team as this site.

Find the shutoff before you need it

TPU says to know where your emergency valve is and learn how to use it before you need it. Its tip sheet's page says these valves are found in basements or outside near the foundation, and to call a plumber if yours is inaccessible or you cannot find it. Try it on a calm day, by hand, and stop if it resists.

If a pipe has frozen or burst

Shut the water off first. The tip sheet's page says to turn it off at the emergency valve, then call a plumber or the water utility for guidance on thawing. It adds a call to Tacoma Water straight away if you cannot turn the water off. Tacoma's inclement weather page points residents to the Red Cross on preventing or thawing frozen pipes.

This page gives no thawing method. If your home has no water at all, ask your supplier first, since the fault may lie up to the meter. If only a faucet or two are dry, TPU's sheet places the problem between the meter and the house.

Our advice: keep flames and improvised heaters away from pipes and leave thawing to a licensed plumber. If water has reached wiring or an outlet, stay clear of it; flipping a breaker from dry ground is as far as we would go.

How to spot a leak once it thaws

Tacoma Water customers can read their usage in MyAccount. TPU says most homes have some time in the day with no water use, so a graph that does not drop to zero over 24 hours may mean a leak on your property. The same account offers leak alerts by email or text.

Tacoma also offers leak help inside city limits: a grant up to $5,000 for income-qualifying households, or a zero-interest loan up to $5,000 for up to 84 months, secured with a lien.

Any replacement pipe may need a permit, depending on your place. The plumbing permit page has the office, and the plumber lookup page shows how to verify whoever you hire. On older property-side plumbing, see lead and old lines.