Before the first hard freeze, settle two things while the weather is still mild. Know where your water shuts off and label it, so anyone on site can stop a leak. And know what you will run if the power goes out, including what is plugged in that could trip a breaker when the space heaters come out. Each item below takes an afternoon and links to the page that covers it in full.
This checklist is written for a leased suite. It is not advice about your lease.
Water: find and label the shutoff
The one water task worth doing before the cold arrives is finding the valve that stops the water to your space, tagging it, and telling people where it is.
- Look where the water line comes in, at the water heater, under sinks and behind toilets, and in a suite, above the ceiling grid.
- Tag what it controls and mark which way is off.
- Check that the handle moves. Do not force one that will not.
- If the faucet only trickles on a cold morning, the American Red Cross says to suspect a frozen pipe.
The full walkthrough is in find your water shutoff before the first freeze. For shutoffs, leaks and repairs, see plumbing service.
Power: plan the outage before it happens
A portable generator with a proper hookup can usually keep the basics running in an outage: most HVAC systems, the fridge and the freezer. It does not run everything at once the way a permanent standby unit does, so the list of what you need running is the whole plan.
- Write the must-run list while the power is on.
- Pick the fuel you can actually get during a long outage, gasoline or propane, and have it on hand.
- Run any generator outside, away from the building, windows and doors. Never in a garage.
How the inlet, the interlock and the 30 or 50 amp circuit work is in how a portable generator hookup works. To get one installed, see portable generator installation.
Power: the breaker that trips when it gets cold
Cold weather brings space heaters. The National Fire Protection Association notes that heat-producing equipment puts a heavy load on the electrical system, and circuits that work fine the rest of the year can become overloaded in winter. If a breaker starts tripping when the weather turns, stop resetting it, note what is plugged in, and do not spread the load onto extension cords or power strips.
What to look at and write down is in dead outlet or a breaker that keeps tripping. For the fix, see electrical service.
Freeze-ready questions
What should I do before the first freeze? Find and label your water shutoff, make a must-run list for a power outage, and check what is plugged into any circuit that has tripped before. Each takes an afternoon.
Can a portable generator run my HVAC in an outage? A hookup of up to 50 amps usually reaches most HVAC systems, the fridge and the freezer. It does not run the whole place at once. The list you want running decides whether a 30 or 50 amp circuit covers you.
Why does my breaker trip more in winter? The National Fire Protection Association notes that heat-producing equipment like portable space heaters adds heavy load, and circuits that work fine the rest of the year can become overloaded in winter. Stop resetting it and write down what was plugged in.
Where we work
Big Dog Tenant Services handles plumbing and electrical for commercial tenants, and portable generator hookups for leased suites and homes, across Addison, Farmers Branch, Lewisville and Fort Worth.
Any work beyond the original quote gets approved by you, in writing, before we start.