Thaw a Frozen Pipe the Safe Way
Do these in order. Stop and call a plumber the moment you find water you cannot stop.
Locate the main shutoff.
Find it before you touch anything. It is often at the meter, at the house wall, or in a garage. Turn it off if you suspect a crack, because ice can plug a split pipe and hide it until the thaw.
Open the faucet.
Open the tap on the frozen line, both hot and cold if both are slow. Melting ice needs a place to push water and steam out, and an open tap relieves pressure.
Apply gentle heat.
Use a hair dryer, a heating pad or warm towels. Start at the faucet end and work toward the blockage so meltwater has an exit. Keep any cord and dryer away from standing water.
Check every joint.
Look and feel for wet spots, bulges and hairline splits along the pipe. Run your hand under cabinets, since a split often leaks only when the line thaws.
Run the water slowly.
Once flow returns, open the faucet slowly and watch for drips at fittings. If anything weeps, shut the valve and make the call.
Never Thaw With an Open Flame
Fire and scorched pipes
A torch, a lighter or a space heater aimed at a pipe can ignite insulation, framing or the wall behind it. Copper conducts heat fast, so a torch can also melt solder or overheat the joint. Plastic pipe can deform. Stay with warm air, warm water and a heating pad.
Why Pipes Freeze and Then Burst
Water expands about nine percent as it turns to ice. The pipe does not usually split at the ice plug itself. The split forms where trapped water between the plug and a closed faucet gets squeezed by pressure, so the pipe fails along its weakest stretch.
Pipes in attics, exterior walls, crawlspaces, garages and under mobile-home skirts freeze first. So do supply lines to outdoor spigots and washing machine boxes on exterior walls. A hard freeze is occasional in North Texas, but the 2021 winter storm burst pipes across the region, and homes that rarely see freezing weather are often the least prepared.
Insulation guidance from the plumbing code and the manufacturer is the standard to follow before the next freeze. A pipe that has split needs a licensed repair, not tape.
Frozen Pipe Symptoms and What to Do
Match what you see to the action.
| What you notice | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No water at one faucet | Local freeze in an exterior-wall line | Open tap and warm the pipe gently. |
| No water anywhere | Main line or meter-side freeze | Check the meter, call the city or us. |
| Frost or bulge on pipe | Ice expanding, rupture risk | Shut the main and thaw slowly. |
| Water stain or drip after thaw | Split pipe now leaking | Shut the main, call right away. |
| Hissing or spraying inside a wall | Active burst | Shut the main, kill power if wet, call now. |
Who to Call About City Water Breaks
The City of Crowley Public Works page says after-hours calls for water breaks and wastewater backups go to Police Dispatch at 817-297-2276. The Public Works main line is 817-297-2201. The city pages do not say where the city's responsibility ends on a service line, so ask Public Works where the city side stops.
That matters during a freeze. A break at the meter or in the street is a city call. A break inside your wall or under your slab is yours, and our burst pipe repair team handles those. If the water meter itself is flowing and your valves are off, report that to the city too.
Source: City of Crowley Public Works page
Homeowner Fix or Plumber Call
Thawing a single exposed pipe is reasonable. Anything past that is not.
Safe to try
- Thawing an exposed pipe with a hair dryer.
- Opening taps to relieve pressure.
- Wrapping pipes with foam insulation after thaw.
- Leaving cabinet doors open to warm sink lines.
Stop and call
- Water is leaking or dripping from a thawed pipe.
- The frozen section is inside a wall or under the slab.
- Ceiling is bulging or wet.
- You cannot reach the main shutoff.
What a Plumber Does at a Freeze Call
A licensed plumber begins by finding the shutoff and pressure-checking the system. We use a thermal camera or moisture meter to find cold spots behind walls without opening them. We thaw the pipe with controlled heat or warm circulation, never an open flame, then inspect every joint for splits.
If a section burst, we cut out the damaged run and replace it with new pipe, then pressure test before closing anything up. For long, damaged runs a repipe may beat patching. When the line between the meter and the house is the problem, we cover that under water service line repair.
Preventing the Next Freeze
Before a hard freeze, disconnect garden hoses and cover outdoor spigots with insulated caps. Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, and let a faucet drip on the coldest night. A thin trickle keeps water moving and relieves pressure between a plug and the tap.
Know where your main shutoff is before you need it. Tag it, and make sure every adult in the house can turn it off. If you leave town during a freeze, set the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees and ask a neighbor to check the house.
What Affects the Cost of a Frozen Pipe Repair
Our crews give you a clear price before work starts. These are the main factors.
Homeowners policies usually cover sudden and accidental damage like a burst pipe and usually not slow leaks or wear. Ask your carrier, and photograph damage before cleanup.
Serving Crowley and the Towns Around It
Cold snaps hit neighbors at the same time. Our Burleson crews and teams in Everman and Forest Hill get busy together, so call early if you hear a drip. If your pipe is dry but your line is quiet, you may only need insulation, and we can tell you that over the phone.
Frozen Pipe Questions
It depends on the length of the freeze and the heat used. A short section can clear in under an hour with a hair dryer, while a long run in a wall can take longer. Never rush it with a flame.
Yes. A partial plug can raise pressure enough to split a pipe, so treat slow flow as a warning.
Hard freezes are occasional in North Texas, but real. Pipes in attics, garages and exterior walls are the usual victims.
The City of Crowley Public Works page lists Police Dispatch at 817-297-2276 for after-hours water breaks. A break inside your home is a plumber call.
If you see frost bulges, drips or a stain, yes. If the pipe is simply slow, you can keep the main on while you thaw.
A heat gun is risky on pipes in walls and near plastic. A hair dryer on low is safer. Never use a torch.