The Short Answer
Frozen pipes are often preventable. Before temperatures drop, disconnect outdoor hoses, protect vulnerable plumbing, keep your home heated, and make sure you know where your main water shutoff is. During extreme cold, a few additional precautions can help keep water moving and warm air reaching at-risk pipes.
Chicago homeowners know cold weather is coming. What is easier to overlook is how quickly the first serious freeze can put vulnerable plumbing at risk.
The best time to think about frozen pipes isn’t when you turn on a faucet and nothing comes out. A few simple steps before temperatures plunge can help protect your plumbing and give you a plan if something does freeze.
What Should You Do Before the First Freeze?
Not every pipe in your home faces the same risk. Plumbing in exterior walls, garages, crawlspaces, basements, and other poorly heated areas can be more vulnerable when temperatures fall.
Before the first hard freeze, focus on the parts of your plumbing that are most exposed to cold.
Disconnect Outdoor Hoses and Protect Outdoor Faucets
Start outside.
Disconnect garden hoses from outdoor faucets before freezing weather arrives. Leaving a hose attached can trap water where it is more vulnerable to freezing.
If your home has outdoor plumbing that requires additional winterization, take care of it before temperatures drop rather than waiting until after the first freeze.
Protect Pipes in Colder Parts of the House
Take a look at where your water lines run.
Pipes near exterior walls, in garages, crawlspaces, unfinished basement areas, or near cold drafts may need more protection than plumbing surrounded by heated living space.
Pipe insulation can help protect vulnerable plumbing, but insulation isn’t the only consideration. Cold air reaching the pipe can also create problems. Pay attention to drafts, openings, and areas where household heat may not circulate well.
Know Where Your Main Water Shutoff Is
Every homeowner should know how to shut off the home’s main water supply.
Hopefully, you won’t need it. But if a frozen pipe cracks and begins leaking as it thaws, shutting off the water quickly can help limit the damage.
Find the shutoff before winter, make sure you can access it, and make sure other adults in the household know where it is.
What Should You Do When Temperatures Drop Below Freezing?
Once a serious cold snap arrives, the goal shifts from preparing your plumbing to keeping vulnerable pipes warm and water moving.
Keep Your Home Heated
Keep the house warm even if you’re going away.
If plumbing runs through a garage, basement, cabinet, or another colder area, make sure that space isn’t becoming significantly colder than the rest of the home. Illinois cold-weather guidance recommends maintaining heat and allowing warm household air to reach areas containing vulnerable plumbing.
Open Cabinets Around Vulnerable Plumbing
Kitchen and bathroom sinks located against exterior walls can have pipes tucked inside cabinets where warm room air doesn’t circulate as easily.
Opening the cabinet doors allows more heated air to reach those pipes during especially cold weather.
Just remember to keep household cleaners, chemicals, or anything else potentially dangerous out of reach of children and pets when cabinets are left open.
When Should You Let a Faucet Drip?
You’ve probably heard the advice to leave faucets dripping when temperatures plunge.
There is some truth behind it. During extreme cold, allowing a small trickle of water to move through particularly vulnerable plumbing can help reduce the chance of freezing.
That doesn’t mean every faucet in your home needs to run whenever the temperature dips below 32 degrees. Focus on plumbing that is particularly exposed or has been vulnerable to freezing before.
How Do You Know If a Pipe Is Frozen?
Sometimes the first sign is obvious: you turn on a faucet and little or no water comes out.
Other warning signs can include:
- A sudden reduction in water flow
- Frost visible on an accessible pipe
- A bulge or other visible change in the pipe
- Unusual sounds when you turn on a faucet
- Water appearing as temperatures warm and the pipe begins to thaw
One important thing to remember is that a frozen pipe doesn’t always start leaking immediately.
Ice can block the water while the pipe is frozen. If the pipe has cracked, the leak may become much more noticeable once the ice melts and normal water flow returns.
That is one reason it’s important to pay attention as frozen plumbing begins to thaw.
What Should You Do If a Pipe Freezes?
If you see leaking or believe a pipe may have burst, shut off the home’s main water supply and contact a plumber.
If an accessible pipe appears frozen but hasn’t ruptured, gradual warming may sometimes help thaw it. Warm air from the surrounding room can be used carefully, following appropriate safety precautions.
Never use a torch or open flame to thaw a frozen pipe. Illinois winter-safety guidance specifically warns against it because of the risk of fire and additional damage.
Once water begins moving again, watch the pipe and nearby joints carefully for leaks.
If you can’t locate the frozen section, can’t safely reach it, can’t get the water moving again, or notice signs of damage, it’s time to bring in a professional rather than continuing to troubleshoot the problem yourself.
Preventing Frozen Pipes Is Easier Than Repairing Them
If the same pipes freeze every winter, that pattern is worth paying attention to.
Recurring frozen pipes can point to plumbing that is particularly exposed to cold, inadequate protection in part of the home, or another vulnerability that should be addressed before the next cold snap.
The same principle applies to other seasonal plumbing problems. A little attention before conditions become severe can make it much easier to catch small issues while they’re still manageable.
If you haven’t looked over the rest of your plumbing recently, MJP’s guide to preventative plumbing before fall can help you think through other parts of the system worth checking before winter arrives.
Get Your Plumbing Ready Before Chicago Freezes
You don’t have to wait until a pipe freezes to start thinking about winter plumbing.
If you’re concerned about vulnerable pipes, have experienced freezing problems before, or discover a leak after temperatures drop, MJP Chicagoland can help.
MJP provides residential plumbing services throughout Chicagoland and the Northwest Suburbs. Our team can help identify plumbing problems, make necessary repairs, and help you understand what your home’s plumbing may need before another stretch of freezing weather arrives.
Have a winter plumbing concern? Contact MJP Chicagoland to talk with our team.