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There is a sinking feeling that comes with with turning on a faucet inside your house only to discover there is no water coming out. If this happens during a cold snap in the weather you can be sure you have a frozen pipe somewhere along the line and your local plumber can confirm this. The first time this happens, it is natural to think you can simply turn up the heat to make the problem go away.
It may not appear to be too serious when you find all other faucets in the house are working just fine. You are right about heating the pipes up to get the water flowing again, but there is a catch. When water freezes it expands. Trapped inside a thin copper pipe with no place to go the ice puts enough pressure on the metal to cause it to crack, especially at soldered joints.
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In really cold weather lengthy sections of the line will split inside the wall of your home. Sometimes the pipe does not actually crack until the ice starts to thaw and the water sudden full water pressure is restored. Thawing out the cracked pipes without the help of your local plumber will conclude with serious water leaks inside the walls and you will have a flood on your hands.
There are common reasons why your pipes freeze in the first place. Your basement may not be heated well enough to protect the water meter and pipe near the outside walls. The pipes on the outside walls anywhere in your house might not be insulated. You may have left a window open near water lines.
Openings or cracks in the external walls of your house can allow freezing air to contact the pipes. Your water meter or pipes may be mounted on the outside wall of your house. The point where the pipe freezes will affect any of the faucets it feeds and you will not have running water in a sink, the toilet or the shower.
If you find there is no running water in any of your plumbing fixtures the problem is likely within the connection to the city water main where you live. Your local plumber can tell you if the city lines are far enough below frost level (less than 3 ft.) to protect them from the cold temperatures.
If you suspect your pipes are frozen it is best to take care of the issue before it gets worse. Once the water in the lines comes to a standstill the risk of freezing increases and spreads father along the lines. Flowing water will not freeze unless you are experiencing a severe temperature drop. You need to call a professional plumber to remedy the situation.
Typically your local plumber will open the wall from one side to determine where the pipe has frozen, defrost it, repair it and test it for leaks. An emergency repair like this saves you from far more damage if the pipes burst and cause a flood. To prevent your pipes from freezing the future you will need to insulate any that are near external walls and keep them well ventilated with warm air. You will need to seal any sections on the outside walls where cold air can enter.
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