If your well has frozen, focus on safety first, then gentle thawing, then prevention so it doesn’t happen again.

First: Safety Check (Do This Immediately)

  • Turn off power to the well pump at the breaker so the pump doesn’t burn out trying to push against ice.
  • If you suspect any pipes have burst (water on the floor, hissing, or bulging pipe), shut off the main water supply to the house if you can access it safely.
  • If water has leaked near outlets, lights, or the breaker panel, avoid touching anything electrical and switch off affected circuits if it’s safe to reach the panel.

If you’re not sure whether you’re dealing with a frozen pipe or a broken one, treat it as serious and don’t keep cycling the pump on and off.

How to Tell If Your Well Is Frozen

Typical signs your well system or lines are frozen:

  • No water at any faucet, but power in the house is fine.
  • Very weak trickle of water that started during a cold snap.
  • The well head, exposed line, or pressure tank area is in an unheated space that’s below freezing.

Common freeze points:

  • Exposed pipes between the well and the house.
  • Piping in crawl spaces, basements, or pump houses without enough insulation.
  • Jet pumps or pressure tanks sitting in sheds or small boxes that got too cold.

Step‑by‑Step: What To Do Right Now

1. Try to locate the frozen section (without dismantling things)

  • Check obvious exposed pipe runs near the well head, basement wall, or crawl space entry for frost, ice, or extreme cold to the touch.
  • Turn on a nearby cold faucet slightly; a tiny trickle or nothing at all suggests a freeze somewhere before that point.

2. Gently thaw accessible frozen pipes

Only thaw pipes you can clearly see and reach safely.

  • Use gentle heat sources:
    • Hair dryer on low/medium, moving constantly along the pipe.
* Heating pad wrapped around the pipe.

* UL‑listed heat tape installed per the manufacturer’s instructions (not taped over itself, plugged into a GFCI outlet).
  • Start warming the pipe closer to the faucet and work your way back toward the well so melting ice has somewhere to flow.
  • Keep that faucet slightly open so melting water can relieve pressure as ice softens.

Do NOT:

  • Do not use an open flame (propane torch, kerosene heater aimed directly at pipe, etc.). This can crack pipes, start fires, or damage plastic.
  • Do not run the pump while you know pipes are frozen; the pump can overheat or pressure can build behind the ice.

3. If the freeze is at the well head or pump house

  • If your well head or jet pump is in a small enclosure, you can:
    • Use a small space heater set several feet away on a stable, nonflammable surface.
* Close the door and, if safe, drape a tarp or blanket outside the structure to help trap warmth (keep all fabric clear of the heater).
  • Aim for slow warming over an hour or more, checking periodically; sudden high heat is risky.

If you’re not fully sure what’s in that enclosure (wires, pressure tank, valves), it’s safer to keep the heater lower and farther away and warm the space as a whole.

4. When water starts flowing again

  • Watch for:
    • New leaks or drips at fittings, valves, or around the pressure tank.
* Short‑cycling of the pump (kicking on and off rapidly), which can indicate a leak or pressure tank issue.
  • Once you’re confident pipes are thawed and no leaks show, turn the pump breaker back on and run water gently to flush the line.
  • If you see any wet areas, shut things down again and call a licensed well or plumbing pro; even a hairline crack can worsen fast.

When To Call a Professional Immediately

Skip DIY thawing and call a well or plumbing specialist if:

  • You can’t see or access the frozen section (line buried outside, well head buried in snow, etc.).
  • The pump runs but you hear grinding, buzzing, or smell something hot.
  • You suspect an underground supply line is frozen between the well and the house.
  • You thawed things once but they refroze quickly, or you keep losing pressure during cold snaps.

Pros have de‑icing equipment, non‑contact heaters, and the experience to avoid cracking buried lines or damaging the pump itself.

How to Prevent Your Well from Freezing Again

Once you’re out of crisis mode, prevention is the big money‑saver.

Insulate pipes and equipment

  • Wrap all exposed and semi‑exposed pipes with pipe insulation (foam sleeves, fiberglass wraps, or similar).
  • Insulate:
    • Lines in crawl spaces, basements near exterior walls, and unheated garages.
* Pipes where they enter or exit the well house or well box.
  • Seal drafts around doors, windows, and gaps where pipes pass through walls so cold air doesn’t blow directly on plumbing.

Improve the well house or well head protection

  • Use or install an insulated well box/enclosure around above‑ground pumps and piping so temperatures stay above freezing (ideally above 40°F).
  • In very cold regions, many owners upgrade to a modern well cap and keep critical components below frost line to avoid repeating freeze‑ups.

Use controlled heat (not constant blasting)

  • Consider thermostatically controlled heat tape on vulnerable sections so it only turns on when temperatures drop.
  • Some owners use low‑watt bulbs or small heaters inside well houses, but always:
    • Keep them off flammable materials.
    • Plug into grounded outlets with proper covers.
    • Avoid leaving improvised heating unattended.

Manage water flow during cold snaps

  • Let a distant faucet drip slightly during extreme cold; moving water is less likely to freeze.
  • Devices like automatic freeze‑protection valves or “Freeze Miser”‑type units can trigger a controlled drip only when the temperature nears freezing.

Quick HTML Table: Immediate Steps vs Prevention

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Situation</th>
      <th>What to Do Now</th>
      <th>How to Prevent Next Time</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>No water, suspected frozen line</td>
      <td>Shut off pump power, open a nearby faucet, gently warm accessible pipe sections with a hair dryer or heating pad.</td>
      <td>Insulate exposed lines, seal drafts, consider heat tape on vulnerable runs.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Frozen pump or well head</td>
      <td>Cut power to pump, gently warm the enclosure with a safe space heater from a distance, watch for leaks when it thaws.</td>
      <td>Install or upgrade to an insulated well box, insulate all pipes entering and leaving the enclosure.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Repeated freeze‑ups in deep cold</td>
      <td>Call a well professional to inspect depth, pump type, and lines; avoid repeated DIY thawing attempts.</td>
      <td>Re‑route or bury pipes below frost line, upgrade headworks so valves and connections sit below freeze depth.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Worried before next cold front</td>
      <td>Check insulation, fix drafts, identify vulnerable pipe runs in advance.</td>
      <td>Add pipe insulation and heat tape, plan to drip faucets or use automatic freeze‑protection valves.</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Little “Story” Example

Imagine a small rural home in a cold snap: one morning, every faucet is dry.
The owner kills power to the pump, opens a basement faucet, and finds a frosty stretch of pipe where the line exits the foundation. They run a hair dryer back and forth over that section for a while, listening as a faint trickle starts and slowly grows steady. Afterward they wrap that pipe with foam insulation, add heat tape, and pack some insulation into the drafty hole in the wall so that next January’s deep freeze comes and goes without drama.

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