Emergency Frozen Water Pipes

Dealing with a possible frozen pipe? Learn how to keep it from bursting by reading on.

Pipes that have frozen are at high risk of bursting.

What we call a “frozen pipe” is actually the result of water frozen inside the pipe.

When water freezes in a pipe, it causes the pipe to expand rapidly. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the wall of the pipe from the inside, which can cause the water line to split, break, or rupture.

As long as it’s frozen, water won’t leak out of a burst pipe. But as soon as the pipe thaws and the ice blockage melts away, water will begin to flow freely and at full pressure from wherever the pipe is split open. That’s when the situation truly becomes an emergency–and that’s what you want to avoid at all costs.

Turn off water to the house in order to prevent flooding. 

Don’t simply wait for your frozen pipe to thaw. It’s extremely important that you minimize the chance of flooding now, before it has a chance to occur.

Since the pipe is already frozen and may be broken, the best thing to do with a frozen water line is to treat it as though it has already burst, just in case it has. If it hasn’t, these steps won’t harm it:

• When you don’t need to use water, turn off all water flow to your home entirely.
• If you have to leave the house for any reason during a frozen pipe emergency, make sure the water is completely shut off before you leave!

How to thaw-out your frozen water pipes:

There are various methods used to thaw frozen water lines safely, but you should still use caution while performing any of these thawing methods. The application of heat, for example, can be dangerous and should not be attempted unless you are familiar and comfortable with the risks.

Below is one pipe-thawing method that everyone can safely attempt at home.

Let the cold escape: Most water lines in Wisconsin freeze because cold weather is able to penetrate an area that would normally be heated. Once the cold has infiltrated, it can’t easily escape. When this happens, what used to be a warm wall turns into a freezer, endangering any nearby piping.

Based on the different areas pipes normally freeze in Wisconsin homes, we recommend fighting cold air infiltration with the following steps:

• Open cabinet doors.
• Remove the trim plate from the bathtub/shower.
• Turn up the house’s heat from your thermostat.
• If you have a finished basement, remove the ceiling tiles temporarily.

How to tell if you have a frozen pipe

Assuming extremely cold weather*, if you don’t have running water at a particular fixture in your home, but you do have running water in other parts of your home, frozen water pipes are a real possibility or, at best, an imminent danger.

*Causes of poor water pressure & no-flow issues during the warmer seasons are not covered in this article.

What factors can cause pipes to freeze in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin homes are built to withstand the extreme temperatures common to our state. Because of that, many plumbing systems remain freeze-free even when outdoor temperatures are well below freezing.

However, there are some other factors that can threaten your already-vulnerable pipes during times of severely cold weather. Here are just a few:

• Driving winds
• Piping installed in soffits
• Piping near outside walls in finished basements
• Sink-feeding piping that runs in or near outside walls

Of all the above factors, though, the first is definitely the most serious. Without wind, pipes rarely freeze in Wisconsin homes. The presence of strong winds, on the other hand–especially during a blizzard–can absolutely cause your pipes to freeze.

How to prevent pipes from freezing

If your home has a history of certain pipes or fixtures freezing up, and you suspect severe weather is on the way, take these preventative measures:

• Leave a faucet drip. (Before you do this, make sure the drain is flowing well.)
  
  
• Open up cabinets. Remember, most pipes freeze because the cold air that is getting in from outside finds itself with nowhere to go once it’s in your house. Strategically let it out and it will naturally be replaced with warmer air over time.
  
  
• Turn up the heat. In specific conditions, certain pipes tend to freeze no matter how warm it is inside the house. However, keeping the house a bit warmer can still go a long way to reduce chances of freezing.

Is a frozen pipe the same thing as a broken pipe?

No. If a pipe is frozen, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s broken. In fact, we have clients that have the same pipe freeze every year but never break–while others that have a pipe freeze for the first time will unfortunately end up with it splitting wide open.

Bad luck happens. During extreme low temperatures, all you can really do is take the risk of breaking very seriously in order to avoid it as much as possible.