What should I do if a pipe freezes?
Short answer: Open the faucet served by the frozen line so melting water has somewhere to go, then warm the pipe gradually starting at the faucet end and working back toward the frozen section. Use a hair dryer, heat gun on low, heating pad, or space heater in the room. Never use an open flame. Stay with the pipe while it thaws, because a split line will start releasing water the moment ice clears.
Need this handled today?
Call for emergency response in Denver and the surrounding metro.
Call Now for Emergency Help(720) 319-807324/7 Emergency Call HandlingKey Takeaways
- Open the faucet first. It relieves pressure and tells you when flow returns.
- Warm from the faucet end inward so meltwater can escape rather than being trapped behind ice.
- Never use a torch, propane heater, or open flame on a pipe.
- Most freeze damage shows up during thawing, so be present with the main shutoff located.
- If you cannot reach the frozen section, warming the room and cabinet space often works.
Finding the Frozen Section
Start with the fixture that has no flow. Follow that line toward exterior walls, unheated garages, crawl spaces, attics, and the rim joist area of a basement. Frozen sections often show frost on the pipe, a bulge, or a section noticeably colder to the touch than the run beside it.
Safe Heat Sources
- Hair dryer moved continuously along the pipe.
- Electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe.
- Space heater warming the room or cabinet, with clearance from combustibles.
- Warm towels rewetted and rewrapped for pipes in tight spaces.
- Opening cabinet doors so warm room air reaches supply lines under sinks.
Watch for the Split
Ice expanding inside a pipe often cracks it while frozen, but the crack does not leak until the ice plug melts. That is why people report a pipe bursting during the thaw rather than during the cold snap. Keep the main shutoff location in mind and check the line and the area below it for water as flow returns.
What To Do, Step By Step
- Open the affected faucet, both hot and cold sides.
- Locate the frozen run and check for visible bulges or splits.
- Apply gradual heat from the faucet end back toward the ice.
- Warm the surrounding space and open cabinet doors.
- Stay present and watch for water as flow resumes.
- If a leak appears, shut the main and call a plumber, then a restoration crew if anything got wet.
Colorado and Denver Considerations
Denver metro freeze events are often short and sharp: a single night in the single digits with sun the next day. That pattern maximizes thaw-related bursts, and it is why local plumbers get their heaviest call volume on the warm afternoon after a cold night rather than during the cold itself.
Exceptions and Important Considerations
- If a pipe is visibly split or bulged, do not thaw it until the water is shut off.
- Pipes inside finished walls may need a section of drywall opened to apply heat.
- If the service line from the street is frozen, the water utility handles that portion.
Related Questions
With direct heat, usually 30 to 60 minutes. Warming a room to thaw a pipe inside a wall can take several hours.
You cannot until flow returns. Leaving the faucet open is what matters.
No. Open flame on a pipe risks fire, steam pressure, and pipe damage, and it is the most common cause of thawing-related house fires.
Call a plumber. Some frozen sections are inaccessible and need wall access or specialized thawing equipment.
Burst and Frozen Pipe Damage in Denver
Call (720) 319-8073 for 24/7 emergency response across Denver metro.