What’s Next After The Freeze? Takeaways From Last Week’s Extreme Weather

Every week, the detail-oriented folks at Green Scene Home Inspections will give CandysDirt.com readers an education in inspection. Want to see what they see? Tune in for “Upon Closer Inspection.”

Now that the storm has passed and temperatures have returned to a heavenly 70 degrees, damage assessment has begun and the prognosis is grim for a lot of Texas homeowners.

Here are our biggest takeaways from the extreme weather last week:

Ruptured Pipes and Water Damage

Ruptured pipes and water damage are among the biggest issues people are dealing with this week, but not all of the damage will be obvious at this point. If you are concerned about hidden or slow water leaks, find your water meter (out front, in your yard, or in the back alley) and follow these steps.

Can you open your water meter lid? If so, turn off every fixture that uses water (NOT your water heaters), open the plastic or metal lid of your meter, and watch the low flow indicator (see pictures) for at least a minute. If it moves, it means freshwater is moving toward your home and is most likely an indication of a leak. Call a plumber and get on their list. You may have a bit of a wait right now as they try to get to all the repairs.

Carbon Monoxide

During the freeze, emergency rooms started reporting lots of cases of Carbon Monoxide poisoning from people improvising to keep warm: sitting inside the garage in a running car, or gathering around an open gas stove to stay warm.

Appliances powered by gas (stoves, cars, generators) emit carbon monoxide, which is odorless and extremely toxic. To avoid accidents, make sure you always have functioning, battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors throughout your house, and in an emergency don’t use gas-powered appliances in an enclosed space.

Home inspectors use these handheld detectors to test gas appliances for leaks and unsafe levels of CO. These run from $40-$100 and would be a good addition to your emergency preparedness kits.

Pool Damage

Pools are another area where homes have sustained significant damage. We are going to be seeing burst pipes, underground leaks, cracked pool decking and pool walls, and more.

Since we are not accustomed to such an extreme and prolonged freeze, we don’t usually have to worry about extensive freeze protection, so this weather caught most North Texas pool owners unprepared.

Leslie’s Pool Supplies put together this guide for pool owners to prepare and protect their pool in freezing weather. Print out this information and keep it on hand for the next winter storm so you can avoid this costly damage.