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Don’t wait until freezing temperatures arrive to protect your plumbing. These common fall mistakes could lead to costly repairs this winter.

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As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, make sure your home is ready for the colder weather ahead. Fall is the perfect time to prepare your plumbing system for winter and help prevent frozen pipes, leaks, and costly water damage.

To help you get ahead of potential problems, we asked plumbing experts to share eight common plumbing mistakes homeowners make in the fall and what you should do instead to protect your home this winter.

Jordan Benjamin is the owner and president of Done Rite Services, a plumbing, HVAC, and electrical service company. John Blackburn is the owner of ARS Restoration Services, a fire, water, mold, and trauma restoration company. Travis Hargrave is the owner and CEO of Hargrave’s Plumbing, a family-owned and operated plumbing company. 1. Leaving Garden Hoses Connected to Outdoor Faucets

Jordan Benjamin, owner and president of Done Rite Services, says that one of the biggest plumbing mistakes homeowners make ahead of winter is failing to disconnect garden hoses from outdoor faucets.

“Not disconnecting a garden hose leaves trapped water inside the spigot and possibly the pipe behind it,” he explains. “When temperatures plummet, that trapped water can freeze, which can damage both the faucet and the connected pipe.”

Before the first freeze, he recommends disconnecting all outdoor hoses (even if you have frost-free hose bibs), draining them, and storing them in an enclosed, protected space.

2. Failing to Shut Off and Drain Outdoor Faucets

Simply disconnecting hoses may not be enough for conventional outdoor faucets, as water left in the faucet and supply line can freeze and damage plumbing.

“Even a brief cold snap can freeze vulnerable outdoor plumbing, especially when the faucet connects to pipes in an unheated area,” warns Benjamin.

For conventional outdoor faucets, he recommends locating and closing the interior shutoff valve (if present), then draining the line.

For added protection, especially when no interior shutoff valve is present, consider an insulated faucet cover.

3. Forgetting to Winterize Sprinkler Systems

John Blackburn, owner of ARS Restoration Services, says his company cleans up the aftermath of plumbing mistakes every winter. One of the main fall plumbing mistakes he encounters is homeowners failing to properly winterize sprinkler systems.

“Water left in the irrigation lines freezes and cracks the backflow valves and fittings,” he warns.

To avoid this, he recommends winterizing the system before the first hard freeze, which may involve blowing out irrigation lines and draining the backflow preventer separately.

Some sprinkler systems may not be designed to be blown out. For best results, consult your manufacturer or installer, or hire a professional to handle winterizing your sprinkler system.

4. Failing to Insulate Pipes in Unheated Spaces

Travis Hargrave, owner and CEO of Hargrave’s Plumbing, warns that homeowners often fail to protect pipes in the attic and other unheated spaces, which can lead to disaster once freezing temps arrive.

“Modern homes have more and more water lines in the attics,” he notes. “You’d be surprised how much protection a few extra degrees of coverage will get you.”

To protect vulnerable pipes, install appropriately sized foam pipe insulation sleeves around exposed water lines in attics, crawl spaces, garages, and other unheated areas.

5. Overlooking Drafts Around Plumbing Penetrations

Benjamin warns that drafts around plumbing penetrations (where a plumbing feature passes through a structural boundary) can expose pipes to freezing temperatures.

“Cold air entering an uninsulated crawl space can quickly reduce the ambient temperature, which can put pipes at risk,” he explains.

To reduce the risk, he recommends sealing around penetrations and maintaining adequate insulation around vulnerable pipes.

6. Setting the Thermostat Too Low While Away

While homeowners often adjust the thermostat to save energy while traveling, Benjamin warns that lowering the thermostat too much could put your pipes at risk of freezing while you’re away.

“Turning the heat off or setting the thermostat too low during an extended trip or vacation can leave plumbing vulnerable to freezing, especially in homes with pipes along exterior walls or in poorly insulated areas,” he explains.

To prevent this, he recommends keeping the heat on at a reasonable temperature no lower than 55°F when you’re away during the winter months.

7. Skipping Annual Water Heater Maintenance

Hargrave says skipping annual water heater maintenance before winter could lead to equipment problems and inefficiency.

“Lower temps lead to lower incoming water temperature, which makes your water heater work overtime,” he explains. “Fall is a great time to perform your yearly water heater service. A water heater free of buildup saves you money and extends its life.”

For tank-style water heaters, routine maintenance typically includes flushing accumulated sediment, checking for leaks, and inspecting the anode rod, all according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

8. Not Knowing Where the Main Water Shutoff Valve Is

Blackburn says one of the most crucial fall plumbing mistakes is not knowing where the main water shutoff valve is before winter. If a pipe bursts, you need to turn off the water supply ASAP.

“Minutes matter. We’ve walked into homes where water was running down the street because no one could find the valve,” he says.

He recommends finding the main water shutoff valve now and making sure everyone in the home knows where it is and how to shut off the supply in an emergency.

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Small energy mistakes can add up overnight. Here’s what to look for and how to stop wasting money without sacrificing comfort.

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Your home may be wasting energy while you sleep. From lights left on overnight to devices quietly drawing standby power, many everyday habits continue using electricity long after you’ve gone to bed.

Below, we’ve listed six common energy mistakes that happen every night, along with simple ways to lower your utility bill without disrupting your routine.

1. Leaving Lights On

Whether for safety, convenience, or to help children navigate the house at night, many homeowners leave their lights on all night long. Others simply forget to turn the lights off before bed.

While a single light may seem like an insignificant energy draw, each bulb adds up, especially when they’re left on for eight or more hours at a time. This energy use is even greater in fixtures that still use incandescent or halogen bulbs, which consume far more electricity than modern LEDs.

Solution: Turn the Lights Off

Turning the lights off at night can make a noticeable dent in your energy bill. If you’re worried about children navigating the home at night, use night lights in strategic locations, such as hallways, bathrooms, stairs, and more.

If you have trouble remembering to turn the lights off at night, set a reminder on your phone for each night before bed. Odds are you’ll soon get in the habit.

2. Inefficient Thermostat Settings

While thermostats aren’t terribly complicated, it can be hard to know whether your settings are running your system as efficiently as possible. One of the biggest energy mistakes homeowners make is leaving their thermostat on the same setting day and night, which makes the HVAC system work unnecessarily hard.

Solution: Change Your Thermostat Settings

For the best thermostat settings at night, letting your home be a few degrees cooler in winter or a few degrees warmer in summer can lower your utility bill without disrupting your sleep.

Programmable or smart thermostats can be set to adjust the temperature at specific times of day, ensuring your system is always running as efficiently as possible.

3. Devices Drawing Phantom Power

Many of the electronic devices you use during the day continue to draw power even after you turn them off for the night. Televisions, game consoles, streaming devices, computers, and smart home equipment can be particularly bad about this, as they remain in standby mode 24/7 in order to start up quickly.

Solution: Use Smart Plugs and Power Strips

It may seem counterintuitive, but using a smart plug to power down smart devices and other devices with phantom power draw can ensure they’re completely off when powered down. However, a standard power strip can help, too, letting you fully power down multiple devices with the flip of a switch.

Related 4. Leaving Chargers Plugged In

Phone chargers, laptop chargers, and other power adapters can draw a small amount of electricity when plugged in, even without a device attached. While a single charger uses a minuscule amount of energy, modern homes often have dozens of chargers plugged in at any given time. Over time, this can begin to add up.

Solution: Unplug Chargers When Not in Use

To prevent unnecessary power draw, unplug chargers and power adapters when you’re not using them. For hard-to-reach outlets, use power strips or smart plug adapters to easily cut power to chargers.

5. Leaving Exhaust Fans On

Leaving your bathroom exhaust fan on all night can use significant energy, not just because the fan itself draws power. These fans often pull conditioned air directly from the home as they run, making your HVAC system work harder than necessary to maintain indoor temperature.

Solution: Turn Exhaust Fans Off When Not in Use

The simple solution is to turn off your exhaust fans once they’ve vented the bathroom. If you can’t remember, consider installing a timer switch.

6. Outdoor Lights Without Timers

Many homeowners leave outdoor lights on overnight to improve security and make it easier to navigate around the home. Others may intend to turn them off before bed but simply forget. These powerful outdoor lights can draw unnecessary energy all night and require more frequent bulb changes, which can be expensive.

Solution: Install Timer Switches for Outdoor Lights

Timer switches can keep your outdoor lights on as long as you want, then turn off once you go to sleep. For added security without wasted energy, motion sensor security lights can be extremely effective.

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Key Takeaways A typical home in Hawaii is worth $833,000, about 4.6 times one in West Virginia ($179,000).Eight of the 10 most expensive states are on a coast, while all 10 of the least expensive are in the South and Midwest, each with typical values below $250,000.Land makes up about 60% of a home’s value in Hawaii and California, compared with less than 20% in West Virginia and Mississippi.

For most American families, a home is both their biggest purchase and their largest asset. But how much that home is worth depends heavily on where it sits.

Across the U.S., typical home values range from under $200,000 in the least expensive states to more than $750,000 in the priciest markets. Geography, housing supply, and demand all help explain the differences.

This graphic maps the typical home value in every U.S. state as of August 2026, using the Zillow Home Value Index, which estimates what a mid-priced home is worth.

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