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Quick answer
If a faucet gives only a trickle in freezing weather, suspect a frozen pipe. Find your main water shutoff first, open the faucet the pipe feeds, and warm the frozen section with a hair dryer, electric heating pad or towels soaked in hot water until full pressure returns. [2][5] Never use a blowtorch, propane or kerosene heater, or any open flame. [5] Watch the pipe as it warms: Cleveland Water warns that a burst pipe can spew water into a home even hours later, once the ice has thawed. [6]
Do this first: confirm it is frozen and get ready to shut the water off
A frozen pipe has not failed yet. Work through these steps in order.
Ask a neighbor whether they have water. Philadelphia Water says that if they do not, it may be a water main break, and if they do, your own pipes have likely frozen. [1]
Turn on the faucets one at a time. If a faucet gives only a trickle, suspect a frozen pipe on the line that feeds it. [2]
Find your main water shutoff and make sure it turns. Austin Water says it is typically on your side of the meter at the meter box, and the Saving Water Partnership says it can also be indoors, usually in a basement, crawlspace or garage. [3][4]
Look along the pipe for a crack or a split. If you see one, close the main shutoff before you thaw anything.
Open the faucet the frozen pipe feeds and leave it open. Seattle Public Utilities says running water helps melt more ice as the frozen area begins to thaw. [5]
Clear anything that can burn away from the spot where you will apply heat.
Then thaw the pipe with gentle heat, as described below.
Never use an open flame, and keep electric heat away from water
Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or any other open flame. Seattle Public Utilities warns that a blowtorch can make the water in a frozen pipe boil and cause the pipe to explode, and that open flames in a home bring a serious fire danger and a severe risk of carbon monoxide exposure. Do not use electrical devices if there is standing water. [5] If water is near outlets, cords or the panel, do not enter it. Turn power off at the panel only if you can reach it from a dry spot; otherwise call the utility or an electrician.
Utilities differ on one detail. Austin Water's first step is to turn the water off at the shutoff before you apply heat, in case the pipe has burst, and to open a faucet near the frozen section so steam can escape. [3] Seattle Public Utilities and the Red Cross instead have you keep the faucet open so running water helps melt the ice, and Seattle says to close the main shut-off immediately if a pipe breaks. [5][2] Either way, if you see a crack or a split, close the main before you thaw.
Where do pipes freeze, and how do you find the frozen spot?
Pipes freeze where cold air reaches them. The Red Cross names pipes exposed to severe cold, such as outdoor hose bibs and pool or sprinkler lines, supply pipes in unheated spaces like basements, crawl spaces, attics, garages and kitchen cabinets, and pipes against exterior walls with little or no insulation. [2] Cleveland Water adds that plumbing in older homes, or plumbing that has frozen before, is even more vulnerable. [6]
Where pipes usually freeze and what to look for
Where
Why it is at risk
What to check
Sink cabinets on an outside wall
Seattle says to open under-sink cabinet doors so indoor heat can reach sink pipes against exterior walls
Open the cabinet doors and feel the supply lines
Where the water line enters the house
The pipe comes through the cold foundation
Frost on the pipe near the wall or meter
Crawl space or unheated basement
Cold air, often through open foundation vents
Exposed pipe runs and any pipe near a vent
Attic or garage
Unheated space
Pipes with no insulation, or a garage door left open
Outdoor faucets and hose bibs
Exposed to outside air
A hose still connected, or the inside valve left open
Table sources: the Red Cross, Seattle Public Utilities and Cleveland Water. [2][5][6] Seattle says pipes exposed to drafts from open foundation vents are most at risk of freezing or splitting. [5] Cleveland Water notes that a frozen pipe you can see often has frost on it or a slight bulge. [6]
A practical way to narrow it down: if only one faucet is slow, the ice is likely on that faucet's line. If every faucet is slow, start near the point where the water service comes into the house. If one pipe has frozen, the Red Cross says others may freeze too, so check every faucet. [2]
How to thaw a frozen pipe safely
Gentle, steady heat is the goal.
Keep the faucet open. As the ice melts, flowing water helps melt the rest. [5]
Start at the faucet end and work back toward the wall, as Austin Water advises. [3]
Warm the pipe with an electric heating pad wrapped around it, an electric hair dryer, or towels soaked in hot water. [5]
Or warm the room. Cleveland Water suggests raising the room temperature or placing a portable heater or heat lamp in the room. [6]
Stay with it. Cleveland Water says never to stand in water while using an electric appliance and never to leave one unattended while in use. [6]
Keep heating until full water pressure returns. [2]
Check every other faucet in the house for more frozen pipes. [5]
Safe and unsafe ways to thaw a pipe
Heat source
Use it?
Why
Electric hair dryer
Yes, with care
Listed by the Red Cross and Seattle. State Farm says to use a hair dryer cautiously and avoid standing water.
Electric heating pad
Yes
Listed by the Red Cross and Seattle
Towels soaked in hot water
Yes
Listed by the Red Cross and Seattle
Portable electric space heater
Yes, with distance
The Red Cross says keep it away from flammable materials. The U.S. Fire Administration says keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from heat sources.
Blowtorch or other open flame
Never
Can boil the water and burst the pipe, and is a fire hazard
Kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove
Never
Fire danger and carbon monoxide risk
Table sources: [2][5][7][8] The U.S. Fire Administration also says to turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed. [8]
Safe to do yourself
Thawing an exposed pipe you can see and reach, under a sink, in an unfinished basement or in a garage, with an electric heat source you can watch the whole time and no standing water nearby.
When a frozen pipe turns into a burst pipe
Water expands as it freezes, which puts heavy pressure on metal or plastic pipes. [2] An undated Institute for Business and Home Safety publication, posted by Spokane County, explains that the break usually does not happen at the ice itself. Pressure builds between the ice blockage and a closed faucet, so the pipe usually bursts where little or no ice has formed. It says an open faucet lets water escape before the pressure builds to where a pipe can burst. [9]
The leak often shows up after the thaw. Cleveland Water says a burst pipe can spew gallons of water into a home even hours later once the ice has thawed. [6]
Watch the pipe while it thaws. If water starts leaking from it, Cleveland Water says to turn off the water supply to that section or the whole house. [6]
Once water flows normally, check the pipe for cracks or leaks caused by freezing, as Austin Water advises. Philadelphia Water says to check the pipes and the meter. [3][1]
Check for leaks you cannot see. Turn off every faucet and water appliance and look at the small low-flow dial on your water meter. The Saving Water Partnership says that if it moves with all water off, you have a leak. [4]
Look at ceilings and walls near any pipe that froze.
A burst pipe keeps running until the water is shut off. Cleveland Water says a very small leak can spew 250 gallons a day, and State Farm says a small crack in a pipe can release over 250 gallons a day. [6][7] If that happens, close the main valve and follow the steps on the page about a pipe burst in your house.
Stay out from under a wet ceiling
A pipe that froze in an attic or ceiling can soak the ceiling below. If a ceiling sags, bulges or drips from one spot, keep everyone out from under it.
Plumber or restoration company: who to call
A frozen pipe is a plumbing job. Water that got out is a drying job. The Red Cross says to call a licensed plumber if you cannot locate the frozen area, cannot reach it, or cannot thaw the pipe. [2] Angi's cost guide, updated October 6, 2026, lists thawing a frozen pipe as a flat fee of about $100, and puts the national average to repair a burst pipe at $500, with most homeowners spending $200 to $3,000. [10] The burst pipe repair cost guide covers what the repair and the cleanup usually run.
Call a plumber when the frozen spot is inside a wall or ceiling, the pipe will not thaw, or the pipe cracked.
Call your water utility when the frozen part may be the meter or the line on the utility's side. Cleveland Water says a frozen meter has to be replaced by the utility before service can be restored. [6]
Call a water damage restoration company when water soaked drywall, insulation, flooring or a ceiling. EPA says that if wet materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours of a leak, in most cases mold will not grow. [11]
Keep it from freezing again
Cleveland Water says plumbing that has frozen before is even more vulnerable. [6] Philadelphia Water says to take action when the forecast calls for temperatures below 32°F, especially for two days or more. [1] In southern states, where freezing is the exception, the IBHS publication uses 20°F outside as its alert point, and says pipes hit by cold drafts can freeze above that. [9]
Keep the heat steady. The Red Cross says keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night, and no lower than 55°F if you go away, and Seattle says no lower than 55 degrees day or night. [2][5] Austin Water suggests 65°F or higher, and turning the water off at the meter, if you will be away during freezing temperatures. [3]
Let a faucet drip. Seattle suggests letting one indoor faucet slowly drip cold water during severe cold, choosing the one farthest from your front door, and says not to leave water running in unoccupied buildings. [5]
Open sink cabinets on outside walls so warm air reaches the pipes. [2]
Block cold air. Seattle suggests caulking around pipes where they enter the house and closing foundation vents during cold weather, then opening them again in spring. [5]
Insulate exposed pipes in attics, basements, crawl spaces and garages, and keep the garage door closed if water lines run through it. [2]
Drain outdoor faucets. Close the inside valve to each outdoor faucet, disconnect the hose and leave the outside faucet open to drain. [2][1]
Keep the meter area warm. Philadelphia Water says keep it above 40°F. [1]
Does insurance cover frozen and burst pipes?
Often, if you took reasonable care. Washington's insurance commissioner says homeowner insurance usually covers burst pipes, including frozen pipes, if you heat your home properly. [12] The New Hampshire Insurance Department says coverage may depend on reasonable precautions against freezing, and that most policies require a minimum temperature or a shut-off water supply if the home is vacant. [13] The DC insurance regulator says a policy may not respond if it appears you neglected to safeguard the property. [14]
The sample HO-3 form the Insurance Information Institute posts, an older Insurance Services Office form (HO 00 03 10 00), excludes loss caused by freezing of a plumbing system unless you used reasonable care to maintain heat, or shut off the water and drained the system. [15] It is a sample. Your own policy controls, so check its wording or ask your agent.
Photograph the pipe and any water damage before cleanup, keep receipts, and call your insurer as soon as water has caused damage.
Common questions
How do I know if my pipes are frozen?
In freezing weather, a faucet that gives only a trickle or no water is the usual first sign. [2][6] If you can see the pipe, look for frost or a slight bulge. [6] If your neighbors have no water either, Philadelphia Water says the cause may be a water main break instead. [1]
Should I turn off the water if my pipes are frozen?
Know where the main shutoff is before you start. Austin Water's first step is to turn the water off at the shutoff before you apply heat, in case the pipe has burst. [3] Seattle and the Red Cross keep the faucet open so melting water can flow. [5] Either way, shut the main the moment you see a crack or a leak.
Can I use a hair dryer to thaw frozen pipes?
Yes. The Red Cross lists an electric hair dryer, along with a heating pad, towels soaked in hot water and a space heater kept away from flammable materials. [2] Do not use electrical devices where there is standing water. [5]
At what temperature do pipes freeze?
Philadelphia Water says to act when the forecast is below 32°F, especially for two days or more. [1] An Institute for Business and Home Safety publication uses 20°F outside as the alert point in places where freezing is rare, and says drafty pipes can freeze above that. [9]
Do frozen pipes always burst?
No, but the risk is real. Pressure builds between the ice and a closed faucet, so a pipe usually bursts where little or no ice formed. [9] Cleveland Water says a burst pipe can spew water even hours after the ice thaws, so watch for leaks as it warms up. [6]
Does homeowners insurance cover frozen pipes?
Often, if you heated the home properly. [12] Most policies require a minimum temperature or a shut-off water supply if the home is vacant, says the New Hampshire Insurance Department. [13] Check your own policy.
