# How to Protect Your Well Pump From Freezing This Winter

> How to protect your well pump, pressure tank and pipes from freezing in a North Texas cold snap, and what to do if the system freezes anyway. Call 24/7.

URL: https://waterwelldrillingweatherford.com/news/protect-well-pump-from-freezing/

Seasonal

North Texas freezes are short but hard. The pump down the well is rarely the problem. The tank, switch and exposed pipe at the surface are.

[Water Well Drilling Weatherford](https://waterwelldrillingweatherford.com/) gets its winter calls in bunches: the morning after the first hard freeze, and every morning of a long cold snap. To protect a well pump from freezing, it helps to know that the submersible pump itself is almost never the problem. It sits hundreds of feet down in water that stays well above freezing. The trouble is at the surface, where the water sits still in exposed metal and plastic.

## What freezes first

1. **The pressure switch and its sensing tube.** Only a small amount of water sits in them, so they freeze fast. A frozen switch can leave the pump running or keep it off.
2. **Exposed pipe** between the wellhead and the tank, or from the tank to the house.
3. **The pressure tank and its fittings**, especially in an unheated, drafty well house.
4. **Hose bibs and above-ground runs** to stock tanks and barns.

## Before the freeze

- **Insulate the well house.** Seal gaps, add insulation to walls and doors, and keep the door closed.
- **Wrap the tank, switch and exposed pipe** with foam pipe insulation or a tank blanket.
- **Add safe heat** if the well house has power: a thermostatically controlled heater rated for the space, or UL-listed heat tape on exposed pipe. Keep anything hot away from insulation and wood. Improvised heat lamps start fires in well houses.
- **Bury or insulate** pipes that run above ground to troughs and outbuildings.
- **Disconnect garden hoses** and cover outdoor faucets.
- **Plan for power loss.** A well pump needs electricity. A properly installed generator connection (transfer switch or interlock) keeps water flowing when the grid doesn’t. February 2021 showed how long a statewide outage can last.

## During the cold

- **Keep a little water moving.** A slow drip at a faucet on the far end of the house keeps water flowing through the system.
- **Keep the well house closed** and the heat source on and checked.
- **Watch the pressure gauge.** A reading that doesn’t move while water runs, or a pump that won’t start, can mean a frozen switch or line.

## If it freezes anyway

- **Turn off the pump breaker** if the pump is running with no pressure change, or if you suspect a burst pipe.
- **Thaw gently** with a hair dryer or space heater at a safe distance. Never use an open flame.
- **Check for splits** in the tank fittings, switch tube and PVC before turning the pump back on.
- **Call** if the switch is damaged, a pipe has burst, or the pump won’t restart. A frozen switch is a quick fix; a pump run for hours against a frozen line is not.

Our phone is answered 24/7 through every freeze. See [emergency well pump repair](https://waterwelldrillingweatherford.com/emergency-well-pump-repair/) and [no water from well](https://waterwelldrillingweatherford.com/learn/no-water-from-well/).

Sources

1. [Water Systems Council (wellcare), protecting your pipes and well system from freezing](https://www.watersystemscouncil.org/download/wellcare_information_sheets/maintaining_your_well_information_sheets/Protecting-Your-Pipes-and-Well-System-From-Freezing.pdf)
2. [AgriLife Today, protect livestock, plants, pipes and pets from winter weather (2026)](https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/01/22/protect-livestock-plants-pipes-and-pets-from-winter-weather/)

## More from the news desk

- Seasonal **[Lightning Damage to Well Pumps: What Storm Season Does to Your Well](https://waterwelldrillingweatherford.com/news/lightning-damage-well-pump/).**
- Walkthrough **[What to Expect on a Well Service Call, From the First Ring to Water Back On](https://waterwelldrillingweatherford.com/news/no-water-service-call-start-to-finish/).**
- Rules & News **[Upper Trinity Groundwater Rules 2026: What the August 27 Vote Changed](https://waterwelldrillingweatherford.com/news/upper-trinity-groundwater-rules-2026/).**

## Ask about your well

Faster by phone, any hour: [(817) 382-3840](tel:+18173823840)