Plumbing expert shares tips to winterize your home and save you money

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Santa Claus is heading to town, and some North Pole temperatures are ahead of his visit.

The experts at Village Plumbing and Air say now is the time to take a break from wrapping inside and start wrapping outside.

"This kind of wrapping will help you save money instead of cost money," Kyle Ernsting, a service technician with Village Plumbing and Air, said.

He said the average Houston home has one water connection point, either on your home's left or right side.

And he recommends using foam self-seal pipe insulation to cover the entire exposed pipe.

Houston has gone through freezing Christmas weather before. Back in 1989, we woke up to 20-degree weather, and pipes across the city froze.

Our ABC13 camera caught crews in a parking garage at The Galleria, removing blocks of ice from inside pipes.

It's those exposed, outdoor pipes that experts are most worried about.

Attic pipe protection

Houston is counting down to the potential arctic blast that could bring disaster to homes. One plumber is walking you through the steps.

They also warned you not to forget about the pipes in your attic. Losing power inside your home will make these pipes vulnerable too.

"You want your pipes to be completely wrapped," Ernsting said while pointing out a maze of attic pipes all wrapped.

Nathan Renfro, of Texas Plumbing, also says your best bet is to shut off all your water and drain it out.

"Without any water in the pipes, there' s almost no likelihood of pipes expanding or busting in your home. If you leave the water on, you're playing a dangerous game there," Renfro said.

If you can't make it to a hardware store to buy pipe wrapping, plumbing companies will come to you to do the job, and you can also use household towels and tape.

"It's very easy. You just take the insulation, spread it around the pipe, pull the tape, and it sticks on its own. And now your pipe is protected," Renfro said.