Use a fitted plastic or foam faucet cover, or cardboard and tape, whenever temperatures are forecast below freezing.
Gwinnett County · Before the first freeze
Freeze Prep for Gwinnett Homes: Protect Your Pipes Before the First Hard Freeze
Georgia winters are mild until they aren’t. Here’s the short list Gwinnett County gives homeowners for protecting pipes, where to find your main shutoff, and what to do in the first hour if a pipe bursts anyway.
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Before the freezeFind your main shutoff
Below 32°FCover, open cabinets, keep heat on
If a pipe burstsShut off the main, then call
Do this now
Find Your Main Water Shutoff Before You Need It
When a pipe breaks, turning off the main valve is what limits the water and the damage. Gwinnett County says it’s usually in one of four places: at the front of the house near the hose connection, in the basement near the water heater, in the garage, or in a utility closet. Find it on a calm day, make sure everyone in the house knows where it is, and tag it so nobody has to hunt in the dark. If the valve is stuck or seized, don’t force it; that’s a job for a plumber before winter, not during a burst.
From the county’s checklist
Protect Your Pipes When Temperatures Drop Below 32°F
These steps come from Gwinnett County’s own winter guidance; the county page has the full version.
Turn off the main control, open each valve until the system drains, close the valves again, and leave it off until after the last freeze.
Unhook and drain garden hoses so water can’t freeze back into the spigot.
Pipes in the attic, crawl space or an unheated basement are the ones that freeze first. A water heater blanket helps too.
On nights below freezing, open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warm air reaches the pipes on outside walls, and let faucets drip overnight: warm water from a single-handle faucet, both hot and cold from a two-handle faucet. Turn them off once the freeze passes.
Especially overnight, and leave the heat on if you travel. An empty, unheated house is where freeze damage goes unnoticed longest. Traveling? Use the pre-trip checklist.
If it happens anyway
A Pipe Burst: The First Hour
- Protect people first.Stay out of standing water near outlets, appliances or a breaker panel. Call 911 if anyone is in danger.
- Shut off the main water valve.The faster the main is off, the less water reaches floors, walls and ceilings below.
- Photograph the damage.Pictures of the pipe and every wet room help with insurance, as long as taking them doesn’t delay safety steps.
- Call for the right help.A licensed plumber repairs the pipe; a restoration contractor extracts the water and dries the house. See burst pipe help for more.
Water Already on the Floor? Start With Three Clear Answers
- Are you the property owner or authorized contact?
- Is there active water damage inside the property?
- Is the affected property in Gwinnett County, Georgia?
Straight answers
Freeze Prep FAQs
When does the first freeze usually arrive around here?
The National Weather Service lists November 13 as Atlanta’s average first freeze (32°F or colder) and November 7 for Athens. Those are averages: some years it comes earlier, some later, so the time to prepare is before the first freeze warning, not after it.
Who fixes a pipe that breaks inside my house?
Gwinnett County says broken pipes on the customer’s side of the water meter are the property owner’s responsibility, and recommends a licensed plumber for the repair. Drying out the house is separate work: a restoration contractor extracts the water and dries the structure. We route calls to independent restoration providers; we don’t do the repair or the cleanup ourselves.
Is Water Damage Gwinnett part of the county?
No. We’re a referral and call-routing service, not Gwinnett County and not a contractor. For a water-related problem on the public side, the county’s own 24/7 line is (678) 376-7000.
Sources: Gwinnett County — Protect your pipes from the winter cold · National Weather Service Peachtree City — average first and last freeze dates · Gwinnett County Water Resources — contact.