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I just got home from work and found that the faucet I left at a trickle was not running anymore. I think my cat was on the counter. Anyway. The temperature in DWF are in the teens with windchill in the negatives. I turned the water back on at the faucet, should I turn it off at the main? I cannot afford burst pipes right now.

isherwood
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Kristina Jupp
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2 Answers2

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Turn off the water at the main immediately and then open all the taps. Do this because if a pipe has cracked, you do not want leakage into walls and ceilings when it thaws. Heat from the lowest part of the house upward because you want the water to flow back down the pipes and drain out open faucets over drains, not through pipe cracks into the structure. You can use heat guns and hair dryers, but not torches. You may be able to use a welder or car battery charger if you have copper plumbing; ask a follow up question how to thaw pipes and/or look at YouTube videos. After everything has thawed, close the taps and slowly turn on each branch and monitor for sounds or signs of leakage. Even safer would be to pump in air with a compressor and see if the pipes hold pressure before sending water in.

MadMonty
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First answer was good if your pipes have definitely frozen. Try warming under the sink area first though and it'll probably start flowing again. The easiest way to be sure (after you've thawed the lines) there are no leaks is to check your meter with all the faucets turned off. If your meter moves at all, you have a leak somewhere. If your house is pier & beam with pipes in that crawl space, a leak there might not be noticable from inside the house until a wall starts sinking.

MrsMcR
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