Repair guide

Frozen pipes

Updated 30 Sep 2026 · AR Logic LLC · 1 source

Urgent: a frozen pipe can burst

If a tap gives only a trickle or nothing on a very cold day, the pipe feeding it is probably frozen: open the tap, and warm the pipe gently from the tap back toward the frozen section with a hair dryer, a heating pad or warm towels — never an open flame. If a pipe has already split, shut off the main water valve first, then call a plumber.

Is a frozen pipe an emergency?

It is urgent: water expands as it freezes and can split the pipe, and the leak starts when it thaws. If water is spraying or pouring, shut off the main water valve and switch off power to any wet area before touching anything — that is an emergency. A frozen pipe that has not burst can be thawed carefully.

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What to check, in order

  1. Find the main water shutoff first

    Know where it is before you start thawing. If the pipe has split, the leak begins as the ice melts.

  2. Open the tap the frozen pipe feeds

    Running water helps melt the ice in the pipe as you warm it [1].

  3. Warm the pipe, working back from the tap

    Use an electric heating pad, a hair dryer, a portable space heater kept safely away from anything flammable, or towels soaked in hot water. Never use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or any open flame [1].

  4. Keep heating until full pressure returns

    Then check every other tap in the house; if one pipe froze, others may have too [1].

  5. Can’t find or reach it? Call a plumber

    Pipes inside exterior walls, crawlspaces and ceilings are hard to thaw safely.

Safety first

  • Never thaw a pipe with an open flame.
  • Keep hair dryers and heaters away from standing water.
  • If water is near outlets or the panel, switch off that power at the breaker first.

When to call a pro

Call a plumber if you cannot find the frozen section, cannot reach it, if the pipe has split, or if thawing does not bring the water back.

What to photograph

For the Triage Profile, photograph the pipe and whatever is around it — frost on the pipe, a bulge or split, water on the floor. One clear photo in good light is enough; the Triage Profile says what it is, how urgent it is (emergency, today, this week or whenever), and which trade to call.

Questions people ask

How do I stop pipes freezing?

Keep the heat at the same temperature day and night, open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls, let a cold tap drip on very cold nights, disconnect garden hoses and insulate pipes in unheated spaces [1].

How cold does it have to be?

Pipes in unheated spaces and outside walls are most at risk; the colder and longer the cold snap, the higher the risk.

Sources

  1. American Red Cross — Preventing and thawing frozen pipes

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