How Do I Unfreeze Pipes? Safe Steps, $100 Thaw by a Plumber

Thawing is the cheap part; a split pipe and the water damage are separate bills.

Do this now: how to unfreeze a pipe safely

1. Find the main water shut-off first. The City of Fort Worth warns that a frozen pipe may already be cracked and will burst when it thaws. Denver Water says the valve is usually in the basement or crawl space on the wall facing the street.
2. Open the faucet the pipe feeds, so melting water has somewhere to go (American Red Cross).
3. Warm the frozen spot gently with a hair dryer, an electric heating pad, a space heater kept away from anything flammable, or towels soaked in hot water (Red Cross). Start near the open faucet and work toward the coldest section (Multnomah County guidance).
4. Never use an open flame. The Red Cross says no blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, or charcoal stove. Denver Water adds that pipes warmed too fast may break.
5. Stay out of standing water when using anything electric (Multnomah County guidance).
6. Keep heating until full pressure returns (Angi). If you cannot find the frozen section or cannot reach it, call a plumber (Red Cross).

How do you know if your pipes are frozen

The surest sign is a faucet that gives no water, or only a trickle, on a freezing day, the Red Cross says. Multnomah County guidance adds that if a faucet you left dripping stops, ice may be blocking the pipe. Other signs Angi lists:

• Frost on the outside of an exposed pipe.
• A pipe that looks bulged, misshapen or cracked. ConsumerAffairs notes a bulge can show you where the ice is.
• A bad smell from the faucet.
• Damp spots on walls or ceilings near a pipe run, which can mean a frozen pipe has already split.
• Whistling or banging sounds in the pipes.

What temperature do water pipes freeze at

Pipes in unheated spaces are most at risk once it is 20 F or colder outside. That "temperature alert threshold" comes from University of Illinois Building Research Council tests, where uninsulated pipes in an unheated attic began to freeze at about 20 F, according to freezing-pipe guidance published by Multnomah County, Oregon, which notes they can occasionally freeze above it. The Red Cross says to keep the heat no lower than 55 F when you are away.

Freeze risk by city: nights at or below 32 F and 20 F

Denver averages 156.3 nights a year at or below 32 F and Minneapolis 81.8 nights at or below 20 F, the most of the cities below, in NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals. In Houston, nights at or below 20 F average 0.1 a year, so a hard freeze there catches pipes that rarely see one.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991 to 2020, annual averages for the station shown (checked Oct 2026). Dallas and Fort Worth share the DFW Airport station. Cities link to local plumbing pages.

When to drip faucets

Drip faucets when the low is forecast near 20 F or below and the pipes run through exposed or unheated spaces, the City of Lawton, Oklahoma says; once temperatures stay above freezing, dripping is not needed. A slow drip does not stop water from freezing, but Multnomah County guidance says it relieves the pressure that builds behind ice, which is what bursts the pipe. The Red Cross and the Boston Water and Sewer Commission both say to let cold water trickle from faucets on pipes in unheated spaces.

Is it an emergency? Signs a frozen pipe has burst

It is an emergency when water is running where it should not, and freeze claims are expensive: State Farm paid more than $628 million on over 20,000 freeze water damage claims from January 2024 to June 2025, an average above $30,000, Carrier Management reported. Watch for water from a ceiling or wall after a thaw, and for the damp spots near pipe runs that Angi lists as a sign a frozen pipe has split.

1. Shut off the main water valve.
2. Photograph the damage before you clean up, as FEMA advises.
3. Call your insurer. The Texas Department of Insurance says most homeowner and renter policies cover sudden and accidental water damage such as a burst pipe, but not gradual leaks.
4. Never sign an assignment of benefits or any contract that hands your claim to a contractor. Florida bans assignments of post-loss benefits on policies issued on or after January 1, 2023.
5. Start drying within 24 to 48 hours. The EPA says that window keeps mold from growing in most cases.

Pipe repair is covered on burst pipe repair. Drying and rebuilding are on water damage restoration and ceiling water damage repair; if growth has started, see mold remediation.

Who to call for frozen pipes

Call a plumber when you cannot find or reach the frozen section, when it is inside a wall or ceiling, or when the pipe has split; thawing often has a flat fee of $100, HomeAdvisor says, and Fort Worth calls a plumber the safest choice when a frozen pipe has stopped the water. An emergency plumber page covers after-hours rates, and the plumbing hub lists other plumbing jobs.

Frozen pipe repair cost by location

ConsumerAffairs puts frozen pipe repairs at $150 to $5,000 overall, with a $500 average to replace frozen or burst pipes, and says after-hours work can cost 50% more. Where the break is drives the price:

ConsumerAffairs, June 2026. Labor runs $45 to $200 an hour and a diagnostic fee $75 to $100 in the same guide.

Compare more plumbing and heating prices on home repair costs.

How to keep pipes from freezing again

• Keep the heat steady, the same day and night, and no lower than 55 F when you travel (Red Cross).
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warm air reaches the pipes (Red Cross).
• Insulate exposed pipes, starting in the attic, and wrap outdoor faucets (Texas Department of Insurance).
• Drain and disconnect hoses and close inside valves to outdoor spigots (Red Cross).
• Keep the heat working. If the furnace quits in a cold snap, see furnace repair or furnace blowing cold air.

For a vacant house or a long trip, winterizing a house covers draining the lines.

Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job. Ask for its license number and proof of insurance before work starts. Some companies take emergency calls; hours vary. How calls work.