frozen water pipes what to do

If your water pipes are frozen, you need to act quickly but carefully to avoid a burst pipe and major water damage.

First: Safety checks

• If you suspect any pipe may already have cracked or burst (wet patches, dripping, bulging ceilings, sound of water running where it shouldn’t), turn off the main water supply immediately at the stop tap.

• If water has leaked near electrical sockets, lights or the fuse box, switch off power to that area (or the main breaker if unsure) and avoid touching anything electrical.

• If there is clear damage or you feel out of your depth, call an emergency plumber right away; a burst pipe can cause tens of thousands in damage.

How to tell if pipes are frozen

• No or very low water coming from one or more taps when others work normally.

• A section of exposed pipe that feels very cold, may have frost/ice on the outside, or looks slightly bulged.

• Toilets refilling very slowly or not at all, or only the cold side of a faucet not working (hot still runs).

Once you have a likely frozen section and no obvious burst, you can try safe thawing.

Step‑by‑step: Thawing a frozen pipe

1. Open nearby taps
   • Slightly open the faucet fed by the frozen pipe (ideally a cold tap on the lowest level, like a laundry sink or basement tap).

 * This relieves pressure and allows melted water to flow out instead of building pressure in the pipe.

2. Turn off or down the main stop tap if you’re worried
   • If you’re nervous about a possible burst once it thaws, you can close the main stop tap and only crack it open slightly while you thaw, or keep it shut and just open nearby cold taps for pressure relief as advised by some utilities.

3. Locate the frozen section
   • Check unheated or drafty areas first: basement, crawlspace, attic, garage, exterior walls, near sillcocks (outdoor taps), under kitchen/bathroom cabinets on outside walls.

 * Feel along the pipe for an especially cold, hard, or frosty spot; that’s often your ice blockage.

4. Apply gentle, indirect heat only
   Use one or more of these safe methods, working from the tap end back toward the frozen section so pressure can escape out of the faucet:

 * Hair dryer: Move it back and forth along the pipe, keeping it a few inches away and away from standing water.

 * Space heater: Position it to warm the surrounding area, not right against the pipe; never leave it unattended.

 * Electric heating pad: Wrap it around the pipe on low to medium setting.

 * Warm towels: Soak towels in hot (not boiling) water, wring slightly, and wrap around the pipe; replace as they cool, with a bucket underneath.

Avoid these dangerous methods:

 * No blowtorch, open flame, kerosene or propane heaters, charcoal stoves, or “camping torches”. They can crack pipes or start a fire.

 * Do not use boiling water directly on pipes, especially plastic, as it can damage them.

5. Be patient and keep monitoring
   • As ice melts, you may hear gurgling and then water starting to flow normally from the open tap; that’s a good sign.

 * Keep checking for leaks along the length of the pipe while it’s thawing; sometimes a crack only shows once water moves again.

6. If you find a leak or burst
   • Turn off the main water supply at once.

 * Open all taps to drain remaining water in the system, saving a bucket or two of water for toilet flushing and basic hand washing.

 * Soak up water with towels or a wet/dry vac to limit damage, especially to floors and ceilings.

 * For a very small accessible crack, you can apply pipe repair tape or a clamp as a temporary fix until a plumber arrives, but this is only a stop‑gap.

 * Call a licensed plumber or an approved scheme (like WaterSafe in the UK) to repair or replace the damaged section properly.

What to do right now (quick checklist)

If you’re reading this in a panic, here’s the fast sequence:

• Check for visible leaks, dripping, bulging ceilings, or water where it shouldn’t be. If yes → shut off main water and electricity (if affected), then call a plumber.

• If no leaks visible but a tap is dry:
  • Slightly open that tap (and other nearby taps).

* Warm the area where pipes run: open cabinet doors under sinks, turn up heating in that room if possible.

* Gently warm the likely frozen section with a hair dryer, heating pad, or warm towels, working from tap toward the blockage.

• Stay nearby while heating; never leave heaters or hair dryers unattended.

• If nothing improves after a reasonable time or you can’t access the pipe, call a professional; some cities even publish emergency guidance and local contacts for frozen pipes during cold snaps.

Preventing frozen pipes next time

Once things are flowing again, prevention will save you a lot of stress in future winters.

• Keep indoor areas with plumbing at a stable above‑freezing temperature, even when you’re away; many people now leave heating on low during cold spells, especially after recent severe winters.

• Let a small trickle of water run from problem taps overnight during deep freezes; moving water is less likely to freeze.

• Insulate exposed or vulnerable pipes using pipe wrap or foam tubular insulation, especially in unheated spaces (crawlspaces, attics, garages, along exterior walls).

• Seal drafts: caulk or weather‑strip around crawlspace doors, basement windows, and holes where pipes enter the house so cold air doesn’t blow directly on pipes.

• For outdoor taps, consider frost‑free sillcocks and always disconnect hoses and drain outdoor lines before winter.

Mini “story” example

Imagine you wake up on a freezing January morning, turn the kitchen cold tap, and nothing happens, while the hot tap still runs. You open the cabinet and feel icy air and a very cold pipe along the outer wall. You crack open the cold tap, aim a hair dryer at the pipe (sweeping back and forth), and wrap a warm towel around it. After ten anxious minutes, the tap coughs, then water starts to flow steadily again, and you check carefully for leaks. That night you leave the cabinet doors open, let the tap drip slightly, and later you insulate that section of pipe so you’re not repeating the same scene next cold snap.

TL;DR: Open nearby taps, gently warm the frozen section with safe heat (hair dryer, heating pad, warm towels), never use an open flame, and shut off the main water and call a plumber immediately if you see any sign of a leak or burst.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.