What to Do If You Have a Frozen Pipe

Although in the movies, burst and frozen pipes are usually a dramatic affair, this may not always be the case when it comes to real life. You will know if you have a frozen pipe as one of more of your taps won’t work, however, before putting together your plan of action for dealing with a frozen pipe, you will need to check whether or not your lack of water is due to an issue with the local supply instead – this can be done easily by checking with your neighbours. If you do have a frozen pipe, here are the things that you will need to do in order to rectify the problem.

Turn Off the Supply

Upon discovering that you may have a frozen pipe, the first thing that you should do is turn off your water supply at the main stop tap, which you will typically find under the kitchen sink. Once you have done this, you should turn off the water completely at the main stopcock, which you will find in your cold water tank. This is usually located in the attic or loft, but could be in another area depending on your home. If you don’t know where to find your stop tap or stopcock, get in touch with a plumber who will be able to help you.

Protect Your Things

One of the main risk factors of a frozen pipe is that they are likely to burst. When a pipe bursts, it can result in anything from a small trickle of water to a gushing flood into your home, depending on the severity of the freeze and the amount of water which is building up behind the ice unable to flow past. You should cover or move anything in your home which is located nearby to pipework which could potentially erupt, as well as cover your junction box and ensure that there are no electrical products or wiring exposed near any pipes which could burst.

Locate the Freeze

If you are not confident with DIY, now is the time to call out a professional plumbing leak detection service. However, if you have some basic knowledge of plumbing, you may be able to locate the freeze on your own by checking the flow of water through all of the appliances in your home which are connected to the main water supply. Once you have narrowed down the area that you suspect is home to the frozen pipe, you should begin looking for any further clues, for example draughts next to a pipe, an unlagged section of pipework, or pipes that are considerably colder to touch than they should be. If you don’t find anything but still suspect that you have a frozen pipe, the best thing to do is call a plumber who has the expertise and tools to locate the freeze and rectify it without any damage.

Frozen pipes can burst and cause a lot of damage, so knowing how to spot one and what to do is important.