A frozen pipe. Thaw it slowly, never with a flame, and be ready for a leak.
Ice expands and splits pipe. The pipe that froze may already be cracked and will start leaking the moment it thaws.
What is probably happening
- A pipe in an outside wall, crawl space, attic or garage has frozen. Only that fixture is affected.
- Frost or a bulge on an exposed pipe marks the spot.
- If one pipe froze, the Red Cross notes others may have too. Check every tap.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Open the affected faucet and leave it open. The Red Cross: as the frozen area melts, water flowing through it helps melt more ice.
- Warm the pipe starting at the faucet end and working back. Use a hair dryer, an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, a space heater kept away from anything flammable, or towels soaked in hot water.
- Keep applying heat until full pressure returns.
- Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so warm room air reaches the pipes.
- Check every other faucet in the house for more frozen lines.
Do not
- Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or any open flame. The Red Cross is explicit. Fire and a split pipe are both worse than ice.
- Do not use a hair dryer while standing in water.
- Do not leave a space heater running unattended against a wall or in a crawl space.
Who to call
A licensed plumber
The Red Cross: if you cannot locate the frozen area, it is not accessible, or you cannot thaw it, call a licensed plumber. A plumber can also open the wall and repair a split.
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What it should cost
$200 to $3,000, averaging $500
Repair of a pipe that burst after freezing, national range. Thawing alone is billed hourly, $100 to $500 an hour at emergency rates
Source: Angi, burst pipe repair cost, updated August 2026, and Angi, emergency plumber cost, updated September 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the plumbing page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- How will you thaw it, and will you pressure test the line after?
- If the pipe split, will you replace the section, and with what material?
- Can you insulate or reroute that run so it does not freeze again, and what does that cost?
- Is this billed hourly or flat, and what is the emergency premium?
End the call if
- Anyone who brings a torch to a pipe inside a wall.
- A repipe quote for one frozen line.
- No offer to check the rest of the house for other frozen runs.