How to Thaw Frozen Pipes and Prevent Them in Amelia County
Most frozen pipes can be thawed safely with gentle heat and an open faucet, as long as the pipe hasn’t split. The trouble starts when the ice is somewhere you can’t reach, or when no faucet in the house has water. Here’s how to thaw one, what changes on a well, how to prevent the next freeze, and when to call Borum for plumbing repair in Amelia County.
How can you tell if a pipe is frozen?
A pipe is probably frozen if one faucet gives only a trickle, or nothing, on a cold morning while the others run normally. The ice usually sits where the line is coldest: in the crawlspace, along an exterior wall behind a sink, or where the water line comes up through the foundation. Look along any pipe you can reach for frost on the outside or a section that feels much colder than the rest. A bulge or a hairline crack means the pipe has already split and will leak once the ice melts. If every faucet is dry and you’re on a well, start at the well house.
How do you thaw a frozen pipe safely?
Thaw a frozen pipe slowly, with gentle heat and the faucet open. Running water helps melt what’s left, and the open faucet gives pressure somewhere to go. Before you start, find your main shutoff valve in case the pipe has split.
- Open the faucet the frozen pipe feeds and leave it open.
- Warm the frozen section with a hair dryer, an electric heating pad, a space heater kept clear of anything that burns, or towels soaked in hot water.
- Keep at it until full water pressure comes back.
- Check every other faucet. When one pipe freezes, others may have too.
Never use a torch, a propane or kerosene heater, or any open flame, and keep electric heat away from standing water. If you can’t find the frozen spot, it’s inside a wall, or the pipe won’t thaw, stop and call a plumber.
What if no faucet in the house has water?
No water at any faucet in a well home usually points to the well system, not one frozen pipe. Most homes in Amelia County run on a private well, and the well house is the coldest part of that system. The small line to the pressure switch and the pipe between the well and the tank can freeze on a hard night, especially if the well house door doesn’t seal or the insulation has slipped. A tripped breaker or a failed pump looks the same from the kitchen sink.
Check the breaker for the well pump first, then the pressure gauge on the tank. If the breaker is on and the gauge reads near zero, call us. As one customer put it after a no-water call in January 2026: “You really don’t appreciate not having water until it’s gone.”
How cold does it have to get for pipes to freeze?
Pipes in unheated spaces are at real risk once the outdoor temperature drops to about 20°F, and wind through a drafty crawlspace can freeze them on milder nights. Water freezes at 32°F, but the house shelters most pipes, so it takes a colder night, or several cold nights in a row, to freeze them. January nights in Amelia County average around freezing, and cold snaps dip into the teens. The pipes most at risk run through a vented crawlspace, sit in an exterior wall, or feed an outdoor spigot.
How do you keep pipes from freezing?
Keep pipes from freezing by keeping cold air off them and heat in the house. Most of the work happens in the fall, before the first hard freeze.
| Where | The risk | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Crawlspace | Cold air through vents and gaps | Insulate the pipes, seal gaps, keep the access door shut |
| Sink on an exterior wall | Little insulation behind the cabinet | Open the cabinet doors on cold nights |
| Outdoor spigots | Water left in the line | Disconnect hoses, shut the inside valve, drain the spigot |
| Well house | Small lines near the tank | Keep the door sealed and the insulation in place |
On the coldest nights, let a cold faucet drip. Keep the thermostat at the same setting day and night, and if you’re leaving home, don’t set it below 55°F. If a well house needs heat, use a thermostatically controlled heater or UL-listed heat cable made for pipes, keep it clear of insulation and anything that burns, and never put a fuel-burning heater in a closed well house.
Why does a heating problem put your pipes at risk?
Most pipes that freeze inside a house freeze because the heat stopped: the system quit overnight, or the power went out during a cold snap. In a well home, an outage also stops the pump, which is one reason homeowners here look at a whole-house generator. If your heat is acting up as winter starts, book heating repair before the first hard freeze.
When should you call a plumber for a frozen pipe?
Call a plumber when you can’t find or reach the frozen section, when the pipe has cracked, or when the whole house is without water. A split pipe leaks the moment it thaws. Call Borum if:
- The pipe is bulged, cracked or dripping
- No faucet has water and the well pump breaker is on
- Water shows up on a ceiling, a wall or the crawlspace floor
If a pipe bursts, shut off the main valve right away. On a well, also switch off the pump’s breaker. Then call (804) 561-6001. Borum offers 24-hour service, seven days a week, for residential plumbing repairs in Amelia County.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I drip my faucets?
Drip faucets on nights forecast to reach about 20°F or below, and on milder nights if a faucet sits on an exterior wall or over a crawlspace that has frozen before. Use a slow, steady drip of cold water from the faucet farthest from your main shutoff. On a well, the pump will cycle now and then to keep up, which is normal.
Will a frozen pipe always burst?
No. Many frozen pipes thaw without damage. When one does burst, the cause is usually water pressure, not the ice itself: as the ice grows, it pushes water toward the closed faucet, and the pipe often splits there, where little or no ice has formed. That’s why you open the faucet before thawing, and why a leak can show up a few feet from the frozen spot.
Does Borum fix frozen and burst pipes?
Yes. Borum Heating & Air handles residential plumbing repairs in Amelia County, including frozen and burst pipes, and the heating problems that often cause them. Call (804) 561-6001.
Frozen Pipe or No Water in Amelia County?
If a pipe has frozen or split, or the house has no water, call Borum at (804) 561-6001 or request service online. We work on plumbing, heating and electrical, so we can fix the pipe and find out why it froze.