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Leak and Freeze

Water freezes at 32°F. Every alert on this site fires at 40°F, while there is still time to act.

Leak and Freeze

When a pipe freezes or bursts

What to do in the first ten minutes, how to thaw a frozen pipe safely, and the one thing never to use.

If a pipe bursts, stop the water first: close the main shutoff valve, which everyone in the house should know how to find. Then call a plumber and your insurance agent. If a pipe is frozen but not burst, keep the faucet open and warm the pipe with an electric heating pad, a hair dryer, a space heater kept clear of anything that burns, or towels soaked in hot water. Never use an open flame.

If it burst

  1. Close the main water shutoff. Stopping the flow is what limits the damage.
  2. Call a licensed plumber.
  3. Call your insurance agent. A sudden burst is the kind of discharge a homeowners policy is written to cover; the insurance guide has the details.

If it is frozen, not burst

  1. Open the faucet the pipe serves and keep it open. Water running through helps melt the ice.
  2. Warm the pipe with an electric heating pad, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater kept away from anything flammable, or towels soaked in hot water.
  3. Never use a blowtorch, a kerosene or propane heater, a charcoal stove or any open flame.
  4. If you cannot find the frozen section or cannot reach it, call a licensed plumber.

Find the main valve before you need it

The time to learn where the main shutoff is, and whether it turns, is a dry afternoon. Illinois Extension says everyone in the family should know how to shut off the water. An automatic valve does this for you when a sensor reads wet; the valve guide explains how.

Sources

  1. American Red Cross: Preventing and thawing frozen pipes American Red Cross, accessed October 25, 2026
  2. Illinois Extension: Water pipes (disaster preparedness) University of Illinois Extension, accessed October 25, 2026
  3. Triple-I: Am I covered? Insurance Information Institute, accessed October 25, 2026

Drafted with a language model on October 25, 2026 from the sources listed above, each opened that day. Every threshold and count on the page comes from the site's own code, held by a test. The editor samples pages after they publish; nothing here is an inspection of your house or advice from a licensed plumber or insurer.

Found an error? See Corrections.

When a pipe freezes or bursts | Leak and Freeze