The cold snaps that catch ranchers out aren't the ones forecast a week in advance. They're the ones that drop 30 degrees in 6 hours and freeze water lines that were fine the day before.
Winterizing isn't one thing. It's a checklist of small decisions made before the cold gets here. Here's the one we run on our own operations.
Stock tanks
If you only do one winterization task, it's installing tank heaters before the first hard freeze.
Sizing a heater:
- 50–100 gallon tank: 250–750W floating heater
- 100–300 gallon tank: 1000–1500W floating heater
- 300+ gallon tank: 1500W or larger, possibly multiple units
A 1500W heater is the standard ranch unit and what we recommend for most operations.
Tips:
- Use a heavy-duty extension cord rated for outdoor use — not a household cord
- Run the cord inside a piece of conduit or PVC where cattle can chew it
- Test the heater the first cold night, not after a week of failures
- Have a spare heater on the shelf — they fail at the worst times
Water lines and frost depth
If your lines run buried, they need to be below your local frost depth.
Frost depths by region (rough guide):
- South Texas: 8–12 inches
- Central Texas / Oklahoma: 12–18 inches
- North Texas / Kansas: 24–30 inches
- Plains states: 36–42 inches
- Northern states: 48–60 inches
Always go deeper than your local frost depth — conservatism is cheap when you're trenching, expensive when you're chiseling out a broken line in January.
If you have any exposed runs (between buildings, into a pump house, anywhere above grade), insulate them. Pipe insulation tubes are cheap; heat tape is better for vulnerable spots.
Frost-free hydrants
If your water access points (yard hydrants, pasture spigots) aren't frost-free, replace them now.
A frost-free hydrant has its valve below the frost line. When you shut it off, the water above the valve drains down, leaving no water in the part of the pipe that could freeze.
Common mistakes:
- Leaving a hose attached. Water can't drain back if the hose is still on. Detach every hose every time.
- Half-closing the handle. Either fully open or fully closed; partial close traps water
- Installing the drain hole above the frost line. The drain has to be deep enough that the drained water flows away from the pipe, not back into it
Pump house considerations
If you have a pump in a structure (well house, barn), the structure needs to either:
- Be heated to above 35°F consistently, or
- Be designed so the pump and lines drain completely when shut off
Small electric space heaters with thermostats are the standard answer for pump houses. A 750W heater costs maybe $5 per cold month to run and prevents thousands in pump damage.
For solar wells and remote pumps without housing, consider draining the system if you're shutting down for the winter, or using freeze-resistant pumps designed for the application.
Hydrants and faucets in barns/buildings
Indoor hydrants and faucets in unheated structures need:
- Insulation around the pipe
- Wrap-around heat tape on vulnerable sections
- A drain valve at the lowest point so you can purge the system if needed
Backup plans
When grid power goes down during a cold snap, your electric heaters and pumps stop. Plan for this.
Generator options:
- Small portable (3,000W): Run a tank heater plus one or two essentials. Manual start.
- Mid-size portable (7,500W): Multiple heaters plus a well pump. Manual or remote start.
- Standby generator (12,000W+): Whole-property backup, automatic transfer switch. The right answer for operations that can't lose power.
If you don't have a generator, at minimum have:
- A few extra stock tanks pre-filled with water before the cold hits
- Buckets and a heated truck for hauling water if needed
- A plan for which tank you'll prioritize
The 24-hour pre-freeze checklist
The day before a hard freeze:
- Confirm all tank heaters are powered and warm to the touch
- Check that all hoses are detached from frost-free hydrants
- Top off all stock tanks — full tanks freeze slower than half-full ones
- Test that backup generators start and run
- Make sure you have an extra heater on the shelf in case one fails
- If you're remote-monitoring (RanchSense), check that all sensors are reporting
Monitoring during the cold
A frozen stock tank in 0° weather is the kind of problem that goes from "manageable" to "livestock down" in 6 hours. Knowing within an hour vs the next morning is the difference.
If you have remote sensors (or are considering them), winter is when they pay back fastest. RanchSense Water Monitors send a text the moment a tank starts dropping faster than expected — the early warning that a heater failed or a line broke.
Get help with your setup
If you're spec'ing tank heaters, choosing pipe insulation, or planning a generator install for your water system, give us a call. We've been through enough cold snaps to know which corners to cut and which not to.