Leave the faucet open, keep the house warm, and do not use any open flame. Call (413) 603-1274. We find the frozen section, thaw it safely and fix any crack before the ice melts and the water comes out somewhere it should not.
Signs your pipes are frozen
- A faucet gives a trickle or nothing on a cold morning
- Only one fixture or one side of the house has no water
- Frost on an exposed pipe in the basement or crawl space
- The toilet will not refill
- A strange smell from drains, because a frozen line blocks the vent
If the whole house has no water and your neighbors are fine, the service line or meter may be frozen. In Chicopee the water department handles the street side, and the line inside your foundation is yours. See who shuts off the water at the street.
Why thawing matters more than the freeze
A frozen pipe is a warning. Ice blocks the pipe, pressure builds between the ice and the closed faucet, and the pipe splits, usually where there is no ice at all. You do not see a drop of water until the ice melts. That is why Chicopee gets most of its burst pipe calls one to three days after a deep freeze, when the weather warms up. Thawing it under control, with someone watching for leaks, is how you avoid the flood. Read why pipes burst when they thaw.
What you can do now
- Open the faucet the frozen line feeds, so melting water can flow and pressure can escape.
- Warm the space. Turn up the heat, open sink cabinet doors and close garage or porch doors.
- Apply gentle heat to an exposed pipe: a hair dryer or a space heater kept well clear of anything that can burn.
- Never use a torch or open flame. It can start a fire inside the wall and can burst the pipe with steam.
- Know where your main shut-off is in case a split shows up as it thaws.
- Call us if you cannot find the frozen spot or it is inside a wall: (413) 603-1274.
What we do
- Find the frozen section. Usually near an exterior wall, the sill, an unheated porch, a crawl space or an outside faucet line.
- Thaw it safely. Controlled heat, with the water ready to shut off the moment a leak appears.
- Check for splits. Frozen copper bulges and cracks, and PEX fittings can pull apart. We check the whole run, not just where it froze.
- Repair any damage on the spot and dry anything that got wet.
- Stop it happening again. Insulation, heat cable or rerouting the pipe away from the cold wall.
Frozen pipes in Chicopee
Chicopee averages about 50 nights a winter at 20°F or colder, and a few nights at zero or below. The last two winters were the coldest in years: Westover Field hit 15 below zero on January 31, 2026. Older two- and three-deckers with pipes on exterior walls and back porches, oil-heated homes that run out of fuel, and electric-heat homes during a power outage freeze first. See the Chicopee freeze report and our frozen pipes guide.
Where pipes freeze in Chicopee houses
- The front basement wall, where the water line comes in and cold air leaks through the sill
- Kitchen sinks on a north or west wall, especially under a window
- Closed-in back porches on two- and three-deckers, where the old exterior wall still holds the pipes
- Bathrooms added over a porch or crawl space
- Outside faucet lines that were not shut off and drained in the fall
If the same pipe has frozen before, it will freeze again until the cold air reaching it is stopped. See pipe freeze protection.
Frozen pipe questions
Will frozen pipes thaw on their own?
They will when the weather warms, but that is exactly when a split pipe starts leaking, often while nobody is watching. See will frozen pipes thaw on their own.
How long before a frozen pipe bursts?
There is no fixed time. Some split within hours in a deep freeze, some hold. Treat every frozen pipe as one that may already be cracked.
Should I shut off the water if the pipes are frozen?
If you cannot watch the pipe while it thaws, yes. Shut the main, leave the faucets open, and call. That way a split cannot flood the house.
Is a frozen pipe covered by insurance?
Damage from a burst is often covered if the home was heated. Thawing alone usually is not a claim. See burst pipe insurance. General information only.
Pipes frozen? Call before they burst
Call (413) 603-1274 now. Locally owned in Chicopee: if a pipe has already split, we fix it and dry the house in the same call.