Last week in Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Portage and the surrounding areas stayed mostly dry and swung hard on temperature. Monday opened at a 63 high and a 46 low. Tuesday was the cold snap: a 69 high and a low near 40 degrees, with several overnight hours at or just above 40. Wednesday warmed to about 75 with gusts near 25 mph. Thursday cooled to a 67/48 day with gusts near 24. Friday’s low dropped to about 43. Saturday jumped to a 76 high, then Sunday finished near 67/55 with only a light sprinkle (under a tenth of an inch). Almost no rain Monday through Thursday. The house threat from that week is not a flooded crock. It is the garden hose still screwed onto the outdoor faucet after a 40-degree night.
Water left in a hose and a hose bib does not wait for a named Freeze Warning. When the next hard freeze hits, that trapped water expands and splits the spigot, the sill cock, or the pipe just inside the wall. A wet patch on the siding, a drip in the rim joist, or a frozen puddle under the faucet are the tells. Shut the interior valve that feeds each outdoor faucet, open the outdoor spigot, and take the hose off so it can drain. If you cannot find the shutoff, the handle will not turn, the faucet still drips with the house valve closed, or you already see ice at the bib, call A.W. Crooks. We are 24/7 residential plumbing and HVAC in Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Portage and the surrounding areas, and we do not add a weekend tax during hours. The Only Crooks You Can Trust! Call or contact us.
Same cold-week walk while you are outside: look at the water heater base and the furnace after Tuesday’s ~40-degree night and Friday’s 43 low. An 8-to-12-year-old tank with a wet ring on the floor does not need another cold snap. The $99 Water Heater Check is still live: flush, T&P, look at the tank and the floor. Not a new heater. Parts and repairs not included. Ten minutes on heat: clean start, no water on the floor, no burning-dust smell that will not quit. The $99 Furnace Tune-Up and $199 Boiler Tune-Up cover one system check. Repairs not included. Install Care is included free on every furnace, AC, water heater, boiler and generator we have installed since January 1, 2026 and every one we install going forward: a free yearly inspection for the life of the unit while it stays in the home. Softeners are not included. Start with Winterize Plumbing, Plumbing, or Heating & Cooling. Or contact us.
Quick outdoor-faucet walk after last week’s 40-degree night: hose off every spigot? Interior shutoff closed and the outdoor bib open to drain? No drip at the handle, no wet siding, no ice under the faucet after Friday’s 43 low? If the hose is still on, the shutoff is stuck, or you already have a wet wall, call before the next cold snap turns that standing water into a cracked line.