To thaw a frozen pipe, open the faucet it feeds, then warm the frozen section gently with a hair dryer, an electric heating pad or a space heater kept well away from anything that can burn, working from the faucet back toward the cold spot. Never use a torch or any open flame. If the pipe is inside a wall or you cannot find the frozen spot, call (413) 603-1274.
Step by step
- Know where your main valve is. A thawing pipe may already be split. See how to shut off the main valve.
- Open the faucet so melting ice can flow out and pressure can escape.
- Find the frozen section. Usually where the pipe runs along an outside wall, a sill, a crawl space, an unheated porch or garage. Frost on the pipe is a giveaway.
- Warm it gently. Hair dryer moving back and forth, a heating pad wrapped around the pipe, or towels soaked in hot water.
- Warm the space too. Turn up the heat and open cabinet doors under sinks.
- Keep heating until full flow returns, then check the pipe for drips.
- Check other faucets. If one pipe froze, others may have too.
Never do this
- Use a torch, lighter or open flame. It can start a fire inside the wall and can burst the pipe.
- Use a kerosene or propane heater indoors.
- Use a heat gun on plastic pipe or near wood.
- Leave a space heater running unattended or near curtains and boxes.
- Use electrical tools while standing in water.
When to call instead
- The frozen section is inside a wall or ceiling
- You cannot find where it is frozen
- The whole house has no water, which may mean the main line or meter is frozen
- Water starts leaking as it thaws
We thaw it under control and fix any split on the spot. See frozen pipe thawing.
Finding the frozen spot
Start at the faucet that has no water and work backward along the pipe toward where it enters the cold area. A frozen section often feels much colder than the pipe around it, and on exposed copper you may see frost or a slight bulge. If several fixtures are dry, look for the place where their lines share a run, often along the front basement wall or the sill. If every fixture in the house is dry, the freeze may be at the main where it comes through the foundation, or in the service line outside. That one needs a professional.
How long it takes
A short, exposed section warmed with a hair dryer often thaws in 15 to 30 minutes. A pipe inside an outside wall can take hours with room heat alone. Keep the faucet open the whole time. When water starts to flow, keep warming until the flow is full, then check the whole run for drips before you walk away.
Questions
How long does it take to thaw a pipe?
An exposed pipe can thaw in 30 minutes to an hour with a hair dryer. A pipe in a wall can take much longer.
Can I pour hot water on it?
Hot towels wrapped around the pipe are safer than pouring water near electrical. Boiling water can crack fittings.
Will it thaw on its own?
Eventually, but a split pipe then leaks with nobody watching. See will frozen pipes thaw on their own.
Cannot reach it or it split? Call now
Call (413) 603-1274 now. Locally owned in Chicopee.