Your pipes can unfreeze in as little as under an hour or take several days or even weeks, depending mostly on how cold it is, where the pipe is located, and whether you actively apply safe heat.

How long it usually takes

  • Lightly frozen, exposed indoor pipe with heat applied (space heater, hair dryer, warm towels): often 30–60 minutes.
  • Indoor pipe behind walls but in a heated home: a few hours to a full day once the house is warm.
  • Pipes in very cold areas (crawlspace, exterior walls, unheated garage) when temps stay below freezing: can remain frozen for several days if you do nothing.
  • Underground or main water line freezes: can take days to weeks without professional equipment or a sustained warm spell.

A simple rule of thumb:

Once the area around the pipe is above freezing and warming up, expect at least a few hours, and up to a couple of days, for stubborn sections to unfreeze.

Key factors that decide “when”

  • Outdoor temperature and wind: If it’s still below 32°F (0°C), pipes may not thaw at all without active heating. Subzero conditions can keep them frozen for days.
  • Location of the pipe: Exposed basement pipes thaw fastest; pipes in exterior walls or underground thaw slowest.
  • Insulation: Good insulation can help hold heat and speed up thawing once an area is warm, but it can also slow heat reaching a hidden pipe at first.
  • How “deeply” they’re frozen: A small ice plug near a drafty spot thaws quickly; a long stretch of frozen pipe takes much longer.
  • Whether water can trickle: A small trickle through the pipe helps warm the ice and speeds thawing.

What you can safely do now

  • Turn up the heat in your home, especially near the suspected frozen area. Open cabinet doors under sinks.
  • Aim a space heater safely at the wall or area with the frozen pipe (keep clear of anything flammable, follow heater instructions).
  • If you can see the pipe, use warm towels or a standard hair dryer, moving it slowly along the pipe; never use open flame or torches.
  • Slightly open the affected faucet (both hot and cold) so any melting ice can start to drip and relieve pressure.

If you do these consistently, many indoor frozen pipes start to come back within a few hours; you’ll often first notice a weak trickle that gradually strengthens over the day.

Warning signs: call a pro immediately

  • No water, then a sudden drop in pressure followed by visible leaks, wet ceilings, or walls.
  • You hear hissing, spraying, or see water where it shouldn’t be once things begin to thaw.
  • The suspected frozen pipe is a main line or buried outdoors.

Those are signs a pipe may have burst and needs urgent professional attention to prevent major water damage.

TL;DR – when will my pipes unfreeze?
If temperatures are warming and you’re actively heating the area, plan on a few hours for minor freezes and up to a day or two for stubborn ones. In ongoing deep cold, they might not unfreeze until the weather breaks or a professional thaws them.

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