Freeze Prep Checklist for La Vernia and Wilson County Homes (2026)

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October 11, 2026

On October 11, 2026

Most winters around La Vernia stay mild, so one hard freeze catches many well houses, hose bibs and attic lines unprotected. Work through this list before the first cold front.

Quick answer: By early November, unhook hoses, insulate and heat the well house, wrap exposed lines, and test both the main shutoff and the well pump breaker. Drip only as your water supplier asks. If a pipe bursts, shut off the water and the pump, then call us at any hour.

Call (830) 475-2604 — 24/7 emergency service

Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily · 24/7 emergency service

Call (830) 475-2604

When the first freeze reaches La Vernia and Wilson County

For San Antonio, the National Weather Service's average first freeze is November 30, with October 30, 1917 the earliest on record. Dates swing widely: the 2025-26 winter's first freeze held off until January 18, 2026. Open country gets cold sooner, and local forecasters expect Seguin and Floresville to reach 32 degrees between mid-November and early December. Make early November your deadline.

What Winter Storm Uri taught us

In February 2021 the weather service logged nine straight freeze days in San Antonio, February 12 through 20, hitting 9 degrees on the 15th. Pump stations lost power and SAWS issued a precautionary boil-water notice on February 17, though it said none of its own mains broke from the cold. Statewide, the TCEQ reported disruptions at more than 1,180 public water systems, with low pressure blamed partly on burst pipes and millions of dripping faucets. Bexar County logged 42,897 storm insurance claims by that May, the Texas Department of Insurance found. The lessons:

Power can fail with the cold, taking heat lamps and heat tape with it, so insulation has to do the work.
Mass dripping can drain a small system, so drip only as your supplier asks.
Know your shutoff ahead of time. Many splits only leaked once the ice inside them melted.

Hose bibs and exposed lines on acreage

Remove hoses, splitters and timers, because a frost-free spigot only drains with nothing attached. Then fit an insulated cover.
Walk the outdoor lines to the barn, stock tanks, shop, RV hookup and yard hydrants. Wrap pipe that rises out of the ground, and cover any buried line that rain or cattle have exposed.
Close and drain unused branch lines and the sprinkler system.

A spigot that already leaks at the stem is worth replacing now; see faucet repair and installation.

The well house and pump house

On acreage near La Vernia, Floresville, Stockdale and Sutherland Springs, the well house is often the coldest building on the place.

Seal drafts at the door, the eaves and every pipe opening. Moving air freezes fittings fastest.
Insulate the walls and ceiling, and sleeve the riser, the tank fittings and the outgoing line.
Use a safe heat source: a thermostat-controlled heater made for damp outbuildings, kept clear of feed and hay. Never run an unvented propane or kerosene heater in a closed pump house.
Check whether the heater shares the pump's breaker, so switching off one doesn't kill the other.

Pump and pressure switch work goes to a well service company; we handle the piping to the house, including buried water lines.

Attic and garage lines

The Texas Department of Insurance says to start freeze prep in the attic, where many slab homes here run their supply pipes. Sleeve the pipes near the eaves and over the garage, and make sure insulation covers each pipe on the cold side, not between the pipe and the warm ceiling. In the garage, wrap the lines to the water heater and washer, and keep the big door shut during a freeze. On cold nights, open the sink cabinets on outside walls.

Find the main shutoff and the well pump breaker

Utility water: find the meter box near the street and the house valve, often beside the foundation, in the garage or near the water heater. Keep a meter key handy.
Private well: find the valve on the house side of the pressure tank and the breaker that runs the pump, in the main panel or a disconnect at the well house. Label it.
Test each valve: close it, confirm the water stops, reopen it, and replace any that stick.
Show everyone in the house, house sitters too.

Dripping faucets: follow your water supplier

Depending on the address, homes around La Vernia get water from the City of La Vernia, East Central Special Utility District, SS Water Supply Corporation or a private well; most of San Antonio is on SAWS. Read your supplier's notices before a freeze; the Texas Department of Insurance notes local instructions may limit water use.

In January 2026, SAWS advised a slow drip, if necessary, from the bathroom faucet farthest from the kitchen. On a well with septic, keep any drip thin and save it for the coldest nights; Wilson County's septic permit packet ties overloading to wasted water and warns against leaky faucets.

If a pipe bursts anyway

Stop the water at the house valve or meter box. On a well, flip off the pump breaker, then close the valve past the pressure tank.
Open a low faucet to drain the lines, and shut off the water heater (switch off its breaker if it's electric, or turn the gas control knob to the PILOT setting if it runs on gas or propane).
Stay out of water near outlets or wiring, and photograph the damage for your insurer.
Call (830) 475-2604. Burst pipes are emergencies: call at any hour and we send our on-call plumber right away.

Smell gas? Leave the building first. Don't flip switches or light anything. Once you're outside, call 911 or your gas utility's emergency line (CPS Energy in San Antonio), or your propane supplier if your home runs on propane. Then call us.

More detail: our burst pipe guide, and frozen pipes for thawing a line that hasn't split.

Freeze prep questions

When should La Vernia homeowners finish freeze prep?

By the first week of November. San Antonio averages its first freeze on November 30, rural areas usually freeze sooner, and the earliest on record came on October 30.

Should I drip my faucets on SAWS water?

Only if needed, and as SAWS asks at the time. In January 2026 it advised a slow drip from the bathroom faucet farthest from the kitchen, with no bill adjustment for that water.

Is foam pipe insulation enough for a well house?

Not in a long freeze. Foam slows heat loss but adds no heat; pair it with insulated walls, a sealed door and a thermostat-controlled heater.

We're leaving for the holidays. What should we do?

Leave the heat on and close the main valve, as the Texas Department of Insurance advises. On a well, also switch off the pump breaker if the well house heater runs on its own circuit.

Can you check our plumbing before winter?

Yes, booked at a time that suits you. We replace stuck shutoffs and worn spigots and repair exposed supply lines. Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily · 24/7 emergency service.

Get your home freeze-ready with a La Vernia plumber

Call (830) 475-2604 for a pre-winter check or emergency help. From our US-87 shop we serve La Vernia, Floresville, St. Hedwig, Adkins and China Grove and east San Antonio.

New customers get $50 off; seniors, military members, first responders and healthcare workers can take 10% off; repairs carry a $0 dispatch fee. Terms are on the coupons page.