The first hard freeze in Prince William County usually arrives in November, and the plumbing problems that come with cold weather are far cheaper to prevent in October than to repair in January. Here is the fall checklist we give Woodbridge homeowners, working from the outside in.

Outside the house

Start with the hoses. A garden hose left on a spigot traps water that freezes, expands, and can split the pipe behind the wall. Drain your hoses, coil them, and store them. If you have an interior shutoff for your outdoor faucets, close it and open the spigot outside to drain the line; even frost-free spigots fail when a hose is left attached over winter. Blow out the irrigation system before the first freeze. And clear your gutters and downspouts so meltwater drains well away from the foundation instead of feeding a wet basement or overworking your sump pump.

Pipes and the places that freeze

The pipes that burst in Woodbridge are almost always the uninsulated ones in unheated space. Slip foam sleeves over exposed pipes in the crawlspace, garage, and along exterior walls. Our frozen pipe guide covers prevention in detail, and what to do if one does freeze. While you are at it, find your main water shutoff and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is, because in a burst those seconds matter.

Water heater

Your water heater is about to work its hardest. Incoming water is colder in winter, so the tank runs longer to keep up. Flush out the summer’s sediment now so it heats efficiently through the cold months, and check that the temperature is set to 120 degrees.

Sump pump

Fall storms and the winter thaw cycle put the sump pump back to work. Test it before you need it: pour a bucket of water into the pit and confirm it kicks on and clears. A pump that has sat idle since spring can seize.

Drains, before the holidays

Kitchen drains take a beating over the holidays. If a drain has been slow, deal with it before the cooking and the guests arrive, not during. A professional drain cleaning is quick, and a slow drain that keeps coming back can point to a main-line problem worth checking early.

The heating system counts too

Fall is furnace season. Before the first real cold snap, have your heating system looked at so a no-heat morning does not catch you off guard.

Run this list on a free weekend in October and you head into winter with the expensive surprises taken off the table. For the warm-weather version, here is our spring checklist. Serving Woodbridge, Dale City, Lake Ridge, Dumfries, and Prince William County. Schedule service →