For Homeowners

10 Things Kansas City Homeowners Should Check Before the First Freeze

By David, founder of Son in Town · Kansas City · 10/7/2026

Kansas City usually gets its first freeze somewhere between mid-October and early November. Some years it sneaks up on a Tuesday night after a 70-degree weekend.

None of this list is complicated, and most of it takes an afternoon. Here's what I'd check, in roughly the order I'd do it.

1. Disconnect the garden hoses

This is the big one. Even "frost-free" outdoor faucets can crack if a hose is left attached, because the water trapped in the hose has nowhere to drain. Unscrew every hose, let it drain, and coil it in the garage.

If your house has an inside shut-off valve for the outdoor faucet (usually in the basement, on the pipe leading to that wall), turn it off and open the outside faucet to let it drain.

2. Change the furnace filter

The size is printed on the edge of the old filter. Write it down, or take a phone picture, before you go to the store. Most 1-inch filters want changing every one to three months. If you can't remember the last time, it's time.

3. Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Push the test button on each one. Then check the date on the back. Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years, and most CO alarms every 5 to 10 (it's printed on the label). Most KC houses heat with gas, so a working CO alarm near the bedrooms matters more in winter.

If the alarm is on a high ceiling and you'd need a ladder, don't. Ask someone. It's a two-minute job for a person who's comfortable up there.

4. Turn on the furnace before you need it

Flip it to heat on a cool afternoon and let it run. A little dusty smell the first time is normal; it's burning off summer dust and should fade within an hour. A smell that doesn't fade, or any rotten-egg gas smell, is not normal. For gas, leave the house and call your gas company from outside.

If it's been more than a year or two since a licensed HVAC tech looked at it, fall is the time to schedule that, before everyone else does.

5. Look at the gutters

In tree-heavy neighborhoods like Brookside, Waldo and Prairie Village, gutters fill up fast in October. You don't need to get on a ladder to check: stand back during a rain and see if water spills over the front edge instead of coming out the downspout.

Gutter cleaning is a job I'd hand to a gutter service. Extension ladders and wet leaves are a bad combination at any age.

6. Check where the downspouts empty

Downspouts should drop water at least a few feet away from the house. If one empties right next to the foundation, a cheap plastic extension from the hardware store fixes it. Kansas City's clay soil holds water, and water sitting against the foundation is where a lot of basement dampness starts.

7. Find your main water shut-off

Find it now, in good light, not at 2 a.m. with water on the floor. In most KC houses it's in the basement on the front wall, where the water line comes in. Make sure the handle turns. Tie a tag on it so everyone in the house knows what it is.

8. Feel for drafts around doors

Close the door on a piece of paper. If it slides out easily, the weatherstripping is worn. New weatherstripping and door sweeps are inexpensive and easy to install. This is a comfort fix more than an emergency.

9. Check pipes on outside walls

If any pipes run through an unheated garage, crawlspace or exterior wall (kitchen sinks on outside walls are the usual suspects), foam pipe insulation is a few dollars and slips right on. On nights below about 10 degrees, opening the cabinet door under that sink lets warm air reach the pipes.

10. Stock a few basics

A few flashlights with fresh batteries, a working ice scraper, a bag of ice melt by the door, and the phone numbers for your furnace company and a plumber written down somewhere you can find them without your phone.

What can wait

Not everything on your mind needs doing before the freeze. Hairline cracks in the driveway, a slightly drafty window, a dripping faucet inside: those are real, but they won't turn into a crisis because of one cold night. Make a list and get to them this winter.

Frequently asked questions

When is the first freeze in Kansas City?

It varies by year, but the first freeze in the Kansas City area typically arrives between mid-October and early November. Checking the 10-day forecast in October is the simplest way to know when to disconnect hoses.

Do I need to winterize a frost-free spigot?

Yes, in one way: remove the hose. A frost-free faucet only works if the water inside can drain out, and an attached hose traps it. With the hose off, most frost-free faucets need nothing else.

Is a dusty smell normal when I first turn on the heat?

Usually. A faint burning-dust smell the first time the furnace runs in fall is common and should fade within an hour. A smell that lingers, or any smell like rotten eggs, is not normal; for a gas smell, leave and call your gas company from outside.

Can Son in Town help get my house ready for winter?

Yes. During a $99 Home Checkup in the Kansas City area we can disconnect hoses, change an accessible furnace filter, test alarms, and look over the rest of this list with you. Anything that needs a licensed HVAC tech, plumber or gutter service, we'll tell you and help you find one.