# How to Prepare for a Winter Storm

> A Louisville winter storm checklist: protect pipes, prepare for power loss, and winterize outdoor plumbing. Call (502) 829-7913.

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Preparedness

Frozen pipes, water damage, and costly repairs happen fast in prolonged cold. Run through this checklist before the storm arrives, not after the first pipe bursts.

Published January 21, 2026 by All Dry Services of Louisville

A hard winter storm brings the problems homeowners rarely plan for until it is too late. Prolonged cold, especially paired with heavy winter precipitation and strong wind, freezes pipes, causes water damage, and leads to costly repairs, and it is hardest on vacant and older homes. Power outages make it worse: that is often the moment pipes freeze and burst while the house loses heat and indoor temperatures fall fast. The time to prepare is now, before the storm arrives. Work through this checklist, check on your neighbors, and share it with friends or family who may not be home or may need the reminder.

## Inside your home

## Prepare for a power outage

If the power goes out during a winter storm, indoor temperatures can fall quickly. A few minutes of preparation keeps a cold night from becoming an emergency.

## Outside your home

## If an emergency happens anyway

If you experience frozen pipes, a water leak, or flooding during the storm, do not wait for the weather to clear. All Dry Services of Louisville answers 24/7 for emergency water removal and restoration, and a fast response is often the difference between minor damage and major repairs. Call (502) 829-7913 any time for immediate help.

## Why pipes burst, and why it happens after the thaw

The common assumption is that ice splits the pipe. Usually it does not. Ice forms a plug, water keeps being pushed against it from the supply side, and pressure builds between the blockage and the closed tap until the weakest point in the run gives way. That failure point is often nowhere near the ice itself.

It also explains why so many bursts are discovered during the thaw rather than during the freeze. While everything is frozen the split is plugged by ice. As it warms, the plug melts and the pipe starts delivering water into the building, frequently while no one is home to notice.

The pipes at risk are the ones outside heated space: exterior walls, unheated basements and crawlspaces, garages, and anything running through an unconditioned loft. In older Louisville housing, supply lines were often routed through exterior walls that have far less insulation than modern code requires.

## What to do if a pipe has already frozen

## If it bursts while you are away

A burst supply line runs continuously until somebody stops it, which for a property left over a holiday can mean days. That is the difference between drying a room and replacing a floor, ceilings below, and everything stored underneath.

Two things reduce that risk. Leave the heating on at a low setting rather than off, because an unheated house is far more likely to freeze than an expensively warm one. And if the property will be empty for more than a few days in a cold snap, shut the water off at the main and drain the system down.

If you come home to it, cut the water and the power to affected areas before walking in, photograph everything before moving anything, and call. Fast extraction and drying is what keeps a burst pipe from becoming a mold problem two weeks later.

Emergency line, answered 24/7

## Emergency burst pipe response, 24 hours a day

Do not wait for daylight. The emergency line answers 24/7, and a crew can be moving before the water spreads further.

A local person answers at any hour, and an on-call technician is dispatched for an emergency. We aim to be there within the hour. Free inspections* during business hours. We bill your insurance directly.

More from the Learning Center

## More restoration guides

## Contact

- Business: All Dry Services of East Louisville
- Phone: (502) 829-7913 (answered 24/7)
- Address: 8401 Shelbyville Rd #106, Louisville, KY 40222
- Service area: Louisville, Middletown, Jeffersontown, La Grange, St. Matthews, Hurstbourne, Fisherville, Prospect, Crestwood (Kentucky)
- Rating: 4.9 across 31 Google reviews