If you wake up one day and find that your water is barely running or not at all when you try to turn on a faucet, you probably have a frozen pipe! You will probably also immediately notice that it is extremely cold to the touch too! Thawing a pipe can be a very, very expensive scenario to take care of if done improperly—and if you have ever experienced this, you will definitely know that bursting pipes are not fun!
Thawing pipes is usually a simple process to take care of, first just turn off your water main (It’s usually in front of the house, if not call your water company to find out!), and slightly open a faucet to allow it to drain while it naturally thaws! To speed the process up, you can use things like pouring warm (Never hot!) water on the pipe, or even running a hair dryer over the frozen pipe to help the ice melt!
It is always good to repair cracks in walls, missing bricks, holes in insulation when you 
have the opportunity so that all of your pipes in your home can stay at a reasonable temperature! Another good trick is to slightly have a couple of faucets drip-running at all times during the cold to keep the water in your home’s pipes thawed and in motion! It’s alright if water pipes get somewhat cold, but your main goal is to prevent them from freezing over!
If you find your pipes are freezing each year, you might want to consider getting your pipes insulated, hooked up to a pipe heater, or placed lower in the ground! These are all expensive in their own right, but it might save your house from catastrophic damage during a cold front! Always remember it is usually less expensive to prevent water damage, than it is to repair water damage—take care of your house so your house can take care of you!
The winter months can be daunting on a house! If your home is caught off guard during a freeze or heavy snow you can be in big trouble in no time at all! We have all heard stories of bursting pipes and collapsing roofs, and since repairs can be very costly—and inopportune around the holidays—it is best to be proactive and do things to prevent these accidents from happening during the cold!
Better business Bureau ®