Key Takeaways
- Pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces, garages and under sinks on outside walls freeze first.
- Shut off and drain outdoor faucets from the inside valve before the first hard freeze.
- Thaw a frozen pipe with gentle heat and the faucet open, never with an open flame.
- If a pipe has split, close the main water valve before it thaws.
Why Pipes Freeze in Hamden, CT Homes
Water expands as it freezes. In a pipe, that ice plug squeezes the water trapped between it and a closed faucet until something gives, usually a split in copper or a cracked fitting. The pipe often looks fine while it's frozen; the leak starts when it thaws.
Hamden has a lot of houses built before modern insulation standards, from the older streets near the New Haven line to the postwar capes and ranches further north. In many of them, at least one supply line runs somewhere cold: through an outside wall, along the sill in an unfinished basement, or out to a hose bib.
The Pipes Most Likely to Freeze
- Kitchen sink lines on an exterior wall, especially behind closed cabinets
- Outdoor faucets (hose bibs) and the short pipe feeding them
- Pipes along the top of the foundation wall, where cold air leaks in at the sill
- Supply lines in crawl spaces, unheated garages and three-season porches
- Bathroom lines in additions built over a crawl space or slab
- Any pipe near a basement window or dryer vent that lets cold air in
If a pipe in your house has frozen once, it will probably freeze again in the same place. Mark it and give it extra attention every winter.
How to Prevent Frozen Pipes Before Winter
- Shut off and drain outdoor faucets. Find the inside valve for each hose bib, close it, then open the outdoor faucet so the line drains. Disconnect hoses; a hose left on traps water even in a frost-free faucet.
- Insulate exposed pipes. Foam pipe insulation sleeves are cheap and quick for basement and crawl space runs. Pay most attention to pipes near the sill and the rim joist.
- Seal the drafts. Caulk or foam gaps where pipes, cables and vents pass through the foundation. Cold air blowing on a pipe freezes it far faster than still cold air.
- Keep the heat on. Don't set the thermostat below about 55°F, even when you're away.
- Watch the oil tank. Many Connecticut homes still heat with oil. Running out during a cold snap means no heat, and frozen pipes follow quickly. Keep the tank well above a quarter full in January.
- Use heat cable only where it belongs. A listed, thermostatically controlled heat cable can protect a short problem run, installed exactly as the instructions say.
Older outdoor faucets are a common source of hidden leaks: the pipe splits inside the wall and you don't find out until spring, when the hose goes on. Ask about frost-free faucets when we're there for other work.
On the Coldest Nights
- Open sink cabinet doors on outside walls so warm room air reaches the pipes
- Let the faucet on the coldest line drip, hot and cold, overnight
- Keep garage doors closed if any water lines run through the garage
- Don't turn the heat down overnight during a deep freeze
How to Thaw a Frozen Pipe Safely
If a faucet gives a trickle or nothing at all on a bitter morning, while other faucets work, a pipe is probably frozen somewhere between that faucet and the coldest part of the run.
- Open the faucet the pipe feeds, both hot and cold. Flowing water helps melt the ice and relieves pressure.
- Find the frozen section. Start at the faucet and work back toward exterior walls, cabinets and the sill. Frost on the pipe is a giveaway.
- Apply gentle heat: a hair dryer, a heating pad, or towels soaked in hot water. A space heater can warm the area, kept well away from anything that can burn.
- Keep going until full pressure returns, then check every other faucet in the house.
- Watch for leaks as it thaws. A split often only shows once water flows again.
Never use a torch, propane heater or any open flame to thaw a pipe. It's a real fire risk inside walls and floors, and overheating a frozen pipe can make it burst.
If the Pipe Has Already Burst
- Close the main water valve right away. In most Hamden houses it's on the basement wall where the water line comes in, next to the meter.
- Turn off the water heater if the leak is on the hot side.
- Turn off power to any area where water is near outlets or fixtures.
- Open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain what's left in the pipes.
- Call (203) 568-2475 and take photos for your insurance company.
Our plumbing repair team replaces the split section and checks the rest of the run, because one freeze can crack more than one spot. If water got into walls or ceilings, leak detection finds where it went. Lines that freeze every winter can be rerouted into heated space as part of plumbing installation work.
When to Call a Plumber Instead
- You can't find or reach the frozen section
- The frozen pipe is inside a finished wall or ceiling
- The pipe is bulging, cracked or already leaking
- Several fixtures are frozen at once, which can mean the main line is frozen
For everything else to do before a plumbing emergency, see what to do before the plumber gets there.
