My Pipes Have Frozen: What to Do Right Now

A frozen pipe during a genuine cold snap is stressful, but working through it calmly and in the right order limits the damage and, in most cases, gets water flowing again without needing an emergency call-out.

First: is it actually frozen, or something else?

No water, or only a weak trickle, from one or more taps during a period of sustained sub-zero temperature is the clearest sign of a frozen pipe, particularly if it affects taps fed from a specific run of pipework, such as everything upstairs, or just the kitchen cold tap. If literally every tap in the house has stopped, it is worth quickly checking whether this is instead a wider mains supply issue with your water company before assuming a frozen pipe specifically within your property.

Step one: turn off the stopcock

Before doing anything else, turn off the main stopcock, covered in more detail in our guide on finding and testing your stopcock. This is a precaution rather than an admission the pipe has definitely split: if it has, and you have not isolated the supply, the moment the ice thaws you get an active leak or flood rather than a contained problem you can deal with in your own time.

Step two: open the affected tap slightly

Open the tap that has stopped running to a trickle position, not fully off. This relieves pressure as the ice begins to melt and gives you an immediate, visible sign that the blockage is clearing, since water starts to reappear at the tap before the whole pipe is fully thawed.

Step three: locate the frozen section

Frozen sections are most commonly found where pipework runs through an unheated space or close to an external wall: lofts, garages, under-insulated kitchen units against an outside wall, and outdoor taps and their immediate internal pipework are the classic locations. Work along the accessible pipe run from the tap backwards, feeling for a noticeably colder section or, in some cases, visible frost or a slight bulge in the pipe.

Step four: thaw gently, from the tap end inwards

Once you have identified the general area, apply gentle heat starting from the end nearest the tap and working towards the blockage, not the other way round. A hot water bottle wrapped in a towel held against the pipe, warm (not boiling) water poured over a towel wrapped around the pipe, or a hairdryer on a low heat setting kept moving rather than held in one spot, all work reasonably well. Warming from the tap end first, rather than the middle of the frozen section, gives melting ice and any building pressure somewhere to go as it clears, rather than trapping it between two blocked points.

What never to do

Never use a naked flame, a blowtorch, or any other open-flame heat source on a pipe, whatever the material; this is a genuine fire risk, particularly near timber joists or insulation in a loft, and is never an appropriate way to thaw a frozen pipe. Avoid leaving an electric heater unattended pointed at a pipe for an extended period for the same fire-safety reason. If a metal pipe has visibly split or you can see or hear water escaping somewhere you cannot directly access, stop trying to thaw it yourself, keep the stopcock off, and call a plumber.

Once the pipe has thawed

Check carefully along the previously frozen section, and anywhere you warmed, for any sign of a split, weep or leak now that water is flowing again; freezing can crack a pipe even if it does not immediately show while still frozen solid, since the damage only becomes apparent once water pressure returns. If everything looks sound, you can turn the stopcock back on fully; if you find any leak, however small, keep the stopcock off and get it properly repaired before relying on the pipe again.

Preventing a repeat

Once the immediate problem is resolved, it is worth addressing why that particular section froze in the first place, generally inadequate insulation or lagging on an exposed run, covered in full in our guide on protecting pipes from freezing, so the same cold snap next winter does not catch you out again in the same spot.

Book with Gasmaster

If a frozen pipe has already split, or you cannot locate the problem yourself, Gasmaster Plumbing & Heating covers Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stone for emergency plumbing call-outs. Get in touch through our plumbing services page.