COOL CUE - WEATHER TIPS

Cold Weather Tips

Getting pipes, plants, animals and people ready for a freeze.

General information only — not medical advice. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

01 — Shut down your outdoor water before the freeze

The highest-value item on the list — and the one most people skip, because they think of it as a pipes problem rather than a hose problem.

• Disconnect every garden hose from every spigot, drain them, and store them.
• Cover outdoor spigots and hose bibs with an insulating cover.
• If you have an indoor shutoff valve for your outdoor faucets, close it and drain the line.
• Shut off and drain sprinkler and irrigation lines — in freezing climates this usually means blowing them out with compressed air.
• Drain anything else that holds water outdoors: pressure washers, water features, hose reels, RV and trailer lines, pump houses.
• Why hoses. A hose left connected keeps that section of pipe from draining, and the trapped water is what bursts the line — ice blocks the pipe and pressure builds behind it with nowhere to go.

02 — Protect the pipes inside your house

• Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so household heat can reach the pipes behind them.
• Insulate exposed pipes in crawl spaces, attics, basements, and garages. Foam sleeves cost very little.
• Seal drafts near pipes — gaps around plumbing, dryer vents, and wiring let freezing air straight in.
• Know where your main water shutoff is, and make sure everyone in the house knows — find it before you need it.

03 — Hold the warmth you already have — the Cool Cue idea in reverse

Cool Cue's own contribution: the same containment principle the app is built on, run backwards. Warmth leaks out the same paths that let summer heat in, and most people never think about timing it.

• Close curtains and blinds at night. Glass is the weakest point in most walls.
• Open the curtains on the sunny side during the day for free warmth, then close them again once the sun leaves that side.
• Set your ceiling fan so the air blows up toward the ceiling instead of down on you — warm air collects at the ceiling, and blowing up pushes it back down along the walls. Run it slow.
• Close doors to rooms you are not using, and heat the rooms you actually live in.
• Seal the drafts you can feel — a rolled towel at the base of a door works tonight; weatherstripping works all winter.

04 — Heat your home safely — this part is extremely hazardous

Cold weather itself is not the leading cause of death during freezing events. Improvised heating is.

• Never heat a home with a charcoal or gas grill, a camp stove, or a kitchen oven.
• Carbon monoxide is invisible and has no smell. It can knock a person out before they recognize the symptoms — nausea, dizziness, or weakness.
• Get and test alarms — a working carbon monoxide alarm on every level of the home, plus smoke alarms. Test them now, not in January.
• Have fuel-burning systems inspected once a year — furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, wood stoves, water heaters, chimneys, and vents. Keep outside vents clear of snow and ice.

05 — Keep your home warm enough to be healthy

A house that merely feels chilly can still do real harm, especially to older people.

• Cold exposure raises the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and chest infections — not just discomfort.
• Wear several thin layers rather than one thick one — layers trap warm air between them.
• Keep moving — try not to sit still for more than about an hour at a time.
• Warm food and drinks help. Alcohol does not — it makes you feel warmer while your body loses heat faster.

06 — Protect your plants

• Know what dies. A light frost around 32°F / 0°C kills tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, seedlings. Hardier greens like kale and spinach take much more cold.
• Cover before dark, while the ground is still releasing the day's warmth.
• Use breathable fabric — sheets, towels, blankets, burlap, or row cover — all the way to the ground.
• Don't let plastic touch the leaves — it isn't breathable and can make damage worse.
• Anchor the edges with rocks, bricks, or stakes.
• Uncover in the morning once it warms — heat can build under a cover in sun and cook the plant you were saving.
• Bring containers inside or into a garage — potted roots freeze faster than the same plant in the ground.
• Water the soil beforehand if it's dry — moist soil holds and releases more warmth overnight.
• Cold sinks — low spots and open lawn frost first; near a wall or fence is often a degree or two warmer.

07 — Protect your animals

• Bring pets indoors. If it's too cold for you, it's too cold for them.
• Check that their water hasn't frozen — shelter without drinkable water is not shelter.
• If an animal can't come inside, it needs a dry, draft-free enclosure, floor raised off the ground, bedded with straw, doorway turned away from the wind and covered.
• Livestock and horses need shelter from wind and wet, unfrozen water, and often more feed.
• Small, short-haired, very young, very old, or unwell animals feel cold far sooner. Frostbite risk rises sharply if they're wet.
• Never leave an animal in a parked car in cold weather.
• Antifreeze is lethal and tastes sweet to animals — clean up every spill.
• Cats shelter under car hoods for warmth — bang on the hood before starting the engine.
• Wipe paws after walks to remove road salt and ice-melt chemicals.

08 — Prepare the structure of your home

• Put in your foundation vent plugs for the winter and close crawlspace vents — open vents run freezing air straight across the pipes.
• Insulate the crawlspace, basement, and attic where you can — warmer unheated spaces keep pipes above freezing longer.
• Clean gutters and downspouts — blocked gutters are how ice dams form and push water back under the roof.
• Check the roof for loose or missing shingles and the flashing around chimneys, vents, and skylights.
• Secure or store outdoor furniture and anything light enough to move in winter wind.
• Seal gaps where cold air enters — around pipes, wiring, dryer vents, and window frames.
• Locate your main water shutoff and gas shutoff, and make sure more than one person knows where they are.

09 — Get your vehicle ready

• Check antifreeze, tire pressure and tread, wiper blades, and washer fluid rated for freezing temperatures.
• Keep the fuel tank near full — it reduces the chance of ice forming in the tank and fuel lines.
• Carry a basic kit: blanket, water, snacks, flashlight, phone charger, jumper cables, ice scraper, small shovel, first aid supplies.
• Tell someone your route if you're driving in bad conditions.

10 — Be ready for a power outage

Freezing weather and power loss arrive together often enough that they should be planned as one event.

• Flashlights and spare batteries, or a wind-up light. Candles are a fire risk, especially around pets and children.
• Water stored ahead of time, and a few days of food that needs no cooking.
• Warm layers, extra blankets, and sleeping bags.
• Phone charged, plus a battery pack. Store your utility's outage number in your phone.
• A plan for anyone in the household who depends on powered medical equipment.
• If the heat is out, pick one room to keep warm and close it off.
• Re-read section 04 before reaching for any alternative heat source — this is the exact moment when people make an extremely hazardous decision.

11 — Know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite

Hypothermia is a drop in core body temperature below about 95°F / 35°C. It is a medical emergency.

• Signs: heavy shivering, confusion or memory trouble, slurred speech, clumsiness, exhaustion and drowsiness. In severe cases the shivering stops — a worsening sign, not an improving one.
• It doesn't require freezing weather — it can happen well above freezing if someone is wet from rain, sweat, or cold water.
• The person often can't tell it's happening — cold affects the brain first, so someone else usually has to notice.
• If you suspect it: get the person somewhere warm, remove wet clothing, warm the chest, neck, head, and groin first, give a warm non-alcoholic drink only if they are conscious, and contact emergency services.
• Frostbite most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, and toes — numbness, tingling, or stinging. Get out of the cold, remove wet clothing, don't rub the skin, and seek medical care.
• Highest risk: older adults, infants, people with chronic conditions, people without adequate heating, people who have been drinking, and anyone outdoors for a long stretch.

12 — Check on your neighbors

Cold weather does its worst damage to people who are already vulnerable, and it does it quietly — indoors, alone, over days rather than hours.

• Check on elderly neighbors, people living alone, people with health conditions, and anyone you know is struggling with heating costs.
• Make sure they are warm, have a coat, have food, and have their heat on and working.
• A knock on the door is a small thing that catches a large problem early.

13 — After the freeze — thawing and checking

• If a faucet gives only a trickle, suspect a frozen pipe — likely along exterior walls and where the water line enters the house.
• Leave the faucet open — as the ice melts, water flowing through helps clear the rest.
• Apply gentle heat — a hair dryer, a heating pad wrapped around the pipe, or towels soaked in hot water. Start near the faucet and work back.
• Never use an open flame — no blowtorch, propane, kerosene, or charcoal. It can damage the pipe and start a fire.
• Never use an electrical appliance while standing in water.
• If you can't reach or thaw it, call a licensed plumber.
• If a pipe has burst: shut off the water at the main valve immediately, leave the faucets open, call a plumber, then contact your insurer.
• Once everything is thawed, turn the water back on slowly and check joints and pipe runs for leaks. Outside, uncover plants, check animal water, and inspect anything that held water — the damage often shows on the thaw.

The world is better when we all work together.