Winterize Your Ohio House Before It Hits 20 Degrees

• Unhook every hose. A frost free spigot can't drain with a hose attached, so trapped water can freeze and crack the valve.
• Shut the inside valve that feeds each outdoor spigot, then open the spigot outside and leave it open.
• Unprotected pipes start freezing when it drops to about 20 degrees outside, per insurance industry research.
• Columbus averages its first 32 degree night on October 27, and Cleveland on October 28.
• Sealing air leaks and adding insulation can cut annual energy bills by up to 10 percent, per ENERGY STAR.
• Only 11 of 72 Ohio handyman home pages on HandyRanking mention any winter prep work, so ask directly.

The Hose You Forget Is the Pipe That Splits

Many newer homes have frost free spigots. The valve sits deep inside the wall, where it stays warm. When you shut it off, the water in the tube drains out the spout.

That only works if the water can get out. A hose screwed onto the spout holds it in. The maker's instructions for one common frost proof sillcock say it plainly. Close the handle and take the hose off in freezing weather. If you don't, the A.Y. McDonald install sheet warns, trapped water may freeze and damage the valve.

The damage hides well. A cracked tube inside the wall often doesn't leak until spring. Then the first time you turn on the hose, water runs into the wall or the basement.

Older homes may have plain spigots with a shutoff valve inside. The American Red Cross gives the steps for those. Close the inside valve that feeds the outdoor spigot. Open the spigot outside so it drains. Then leave it open, so any water left in the line has room to expand.

When Ohio Gets Cold Enough to Burst a Pipe

A frost on the car doesn't freeze your pipes. Water in a pipe needs a long, hard cold. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety says unprotected pipes start to freeze when it drops to about 20 degrees outside. Wind and gaps in the wall can make it happen sooner.

The break often isn't where the ice is. IBHS found that pressure builds between the ice and a closed faucet. The pipe tends to burst in that stretch, where little or no ice formed. That's why one frozen spot can flood a room far from it.

Ohio hits its first freeze sooner than most people plan for. The National Weather Service in Wilmington lists the normal first 32 degree night for central and southwest Ohio, based on 1991 to 2020 data. News 5 Cleveland reports the Weather Service figures for the northeast.

Those dates are averages, so half of all years freeze sooner. A 32 degree night won't burst a pipe. But it tells you the 20 degree nights are close. By early November, treat every outdoor spigot as if the hard cold starts this week.

Winterize the Plumbing First

Water damage costs far more than a draft. So do the pipes before anything else. The Red Cross lists the pipes that freeze most. Outdoor hose spigots, sprinkler lines, and pipes in garages, crawl spaces, attics and under sinks. Pipes on outside walls with thin insulation freeze too.

1. Take off every garden hose. Drain it and store it inside.
2. Find the inside shutoff for each outdoor spigot. It's often in the basement ceiling near that wall. Close it.
3. Open each outdoor spigot and leave it open for the winter.
4. Drain sprinkler and pool lines the way the maker or installer says. The Red Cross warns against antifreeze in them unless directed.
5. Wrap exposed pipes in garages, crawl spaces and along the basement rim joist with foam pipe sleeves.
6. Use only UL listed heat tape or heat cable on pipes that still get too cold.
7. Know where your main water shutoff is, and make sure it turns.

Insulation slows heat loss. It doesn't make heat. Building code guidance says insulated pipes still need a heat source nearby, per the ICC. So a sleeve on a pipe in a cold crawl space buys time, not safety.

On the coldest nights, the Red Cross adds three habits. Let cold water drip from a faucet fed by exposed pipes. Open the cabinet doors under kitchen and bath sinks. Keep the thermostat at the same setting day and night. If you travel, leave the heat at 55 degrees or higher.

Seal the Drafts You Can Feel

Drafts don't flood a house. They just drain your wallet all winter. ENERGY STAR says sealing air leaks and adding insulation can save up to 10 percent on annual energy bills. The simple fixes are weatherstripping on doors and caulk around windows.

Start with the doors. Close each one on a sheet of paper. If the paper slides out easily, the seal is worn. Swap the weatherstrip on the sides and top, and check the sweep at the bottom. Then caulk the gaps where window and door trim meets the siding.

The attic is the bigger job. Franklin, Cuyahoga and Lucas counties all sit in climate zone 5A, per the Department of Energy's OpenEI climate data. For zone 5, ENERGY STAR's insulation chart recommends R60 in an attic with no insulation. If you already have 3 to 4 inches, it recommends adding R49.

Seal the attic floor before you add insulation. Gaps around lights, pipes and the attic hatch let warm air rise. Insulation laid over open gaps won't stop that air.

Few Ohio Handymen Advertise Winter Work

You may want help with some of this. Finding it takes a phone call, not a web search. In November 2026, HandyRanking looked at the home page text of 72 general handyman businesses listed in Ohio. That covered 27 in Columbus, 24 in Cleveland and 21 in Toledo. Only 11 mentioned any winter prep task.

That doesn't mean they won't do it. Most handymen take this kind of work. They just don't list it. So ask by name. "Can you shut off and drain my outdoor spigots and sleeve the basement pipes?" gets a clear yes or no.

Keep the plumbing limits in mind. Ohio licenses plumbing contractors at the state level, as our Ohio handyman license guide explains. Draining a spigot is maintenance. Replacing a cracked one inside the wall may be plumbing work in your city. Browse local pros in Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo.

If a Pipe Freezes Anyway

A faucet that gives only a trickle is the first sign. The Red Cross says frozen pipes are most likely on outside walls or where the water line enters through the foundation.

1. Leave the faucet open. Moving water helps melt the ice.
2. Warm the pipe with a hair dryer, an electric heating pad or towels soaked in hot water.
3. Keep any space heater well away from anything that can burn.
4. Never use a torch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or any open flame.
5. Keep heating until full water pressure comes back.
6. Check every other faucet. If one pipe froze, others may have too.

Can't find the frozen spot, can't reach it, or can't thaw it? The Red Cross says to call a licensed plumber. If the pipe has already split, shut the main water valve first.

A burst line can soak drywall and flooring fast. Patching those after the plumber leaves is classic handyman work. Our Ohio and Michigan hourly rate guide shows what that labor usually costs.

Your Weekend Winterizing List

Print this or keep it on your phone. Work top to bottom.

1. Unhook, drain and store every hose.
2. Close the inside valve to each outdoor spigot, then open the spigot outside.
3. Drain the sprinkler system or book the company that installed it.
4. Sleeve exposed pipes in the garage, crawl space and basement rim joist.
5. Test your main water shutoff.
6. Do the paper test on every exterior door and replace worn weatherstrip.
7. Caulk gaps around window and door trim.
8. Look in the attic. Seal gaps, then check the insulation depth.
9. Set the thermostat to hold steady at night, and 55 or higher when you travel.

Most of this costs less than one service call. The spigots alone take a few minutes. We'd start there today.