Open the faucet, find the frozen section, and warm it slowly with a hair dryer, heating pad or hot towels. Never use an open flame. Know where your main shutoff is first, because a cracked pipe often doesn't leak until the ice melts.
Before you start
- Find your main water shutoff. Ice can hide a crack. When it thaws, water can pour out fast. See how to find the main shutoff.
- Look for bulges or splits in the pipe. If you see one, shut off the main before warming it.
Step by step
- Open the faucet the pipe feeds. Running water helps melt the ice and lets meltwater out.
- Find the frozen section. Check pipes on outside walls, in crawl spaces, unheated garages and where the line comes in through the foundation.
- Warm it slowly with an electric hair dryer, an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, towels soaked in hot water, or a space heater kept away from anything that can burn.
- Keep going until full water pressure comes back.
- Check your other faucets. If one pipe froze, others may have too.
What not to do
- No open flames. No blowtorch, propane or kerosene heater, or charcoal. Flame can boil water inside the pipe and burst it, start a fire, or put carbon monoxide in the house.
- Don't use electrical tools near standing water. If the area is already wet, stop and shut off the water first.
When to stop and call
Call a plumber if you can't find the frozen spot, can't reach it, or can't thaw it. If water is already leaking or the ceiling or wall is wet, shut off the main and get drying started. A water damage company can stop the spread.
Source: American Red Cross, Preventing and thawing frozen pipes.
Common questions
How long does it take to thaw a frozen pipe?
It depends on how much ice there is and how cold the space is. Keep warming until full pressure returns, and check the pipe for leaks as it thaws.
Will a frozen pipe always burst?
No, but ice puts pressure on the pipe. Many cracks only show once the ice melts, so watch the area closely.
Is a frozen pipe covered by insurance?
Water damage from a pipe that freezes and bursts in a heated home is usually covered. Policies often exclude it in a home left unheated unless the water was shut off and the pipes drained. See what homeowners insurance covers.