How to prevent frozen pipes in Columbus

Why Columbus homes are exposed

Central Ohio winters bring repeated stretches of below-freezing weather, and a sudden cold snap after a mild spell catches many households unprepared. The pipes most at risk are the ones that sit in cold air or against cold surfaces: supply lines in crawl spaces, unheated garages and attics, pipes running along exterior walls, kitchen and bathroom sinks on outside walls, and outdoor hose bibs. Many neighborhoods in and around Columbus, from older areas such as Clintonville, German Village and the Near East Side to newer subdivisions with plumbing in garage walls, have at least one of these weak spots. Knowing where yours are before the first hard freeze is the most useful thing you can do.

Before winter: a one-afternoon checklist

Do these tasks in the fall, before overnight lows drop well below freezing. None of them requires special tools, and each one removes a common cause of frozen lines.

1. Find your main water shutoff and make sure it turns. In many Columbus-area homes it is in the basement near where the water line enters the front foundation wall; some homes have it in a utility room or crawl space. Tag it so anyone in the house can find it.
2. Disconnect, drain and store garden hoses. A hose left attached can trap water in the outdoor faucet.
3. If your outdoor faucets have an inside shutoff valve, close it, then open the outdoor faucet to let the line drain. Leave the outdoor faucet open for the winter if your plumber or the faucet's instructions recommend it.
4. Insulate exposed hot and cold supply pipes in unheated areas with foam pipe sleeves from a hardware store. Pay attention to crawl spaces, rim joists, garages and attic runs.
5. Seal obvious drafts near pipes: gaps where pipes or cables pass through exterior walls, broken basement window panes and open crawl-space vents that let wind blow directly on plumbing.
6. If you use heat cable on a problem pipe, choose a product listed for that use and follow its installation instructions exactly.

During a cold snap: what to do each night

When forecasts call for a hard freeze or subzero wind chills, add these short-term habits. They cost little and are recommended by the American Red Cross.

1. Keep the thermostat at the same setting day and night instead of using a deep overnight setback.
2. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors on exterior walls so warm room air reaches the pipes. Move cleaners and chemicals out of children's reach first.
3. Let the cold water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes. Moving water, even a trickle, helps prevent freezing.
4. Keep the garage door closed if water lines run through the garage.
5. If you leave town, keep the heat on no lower than 55°F and ask someone to check the house. Consider shutting off the main water valve and draining the lines if the home will be empty for a long period.

How to tell a pipe may be frozen

The most common sign is a faucet that gives only a trickle, or nothing, on a cold morning while other fixtures still work. You may see frost on an exposed pipe, notice an odd smell from a drain, or find a bulge in a pipe section. If water is spraying, dripping from a ceiling or pooling on the floor, the pipe has probably split; shut off the main water valve and follow our burst pipe guide instead.

How to thaw a frozen pipe safely

If you can see and reach the frozen section and there is no sign of a split, you can try to thaw it yourself. The goal is gentle, controlled heat.

1. Open the faucet the pipe feeds so melting water and pressure have somewhere to go.
2. Apply heat starting from the faucet end and working back toward the frozen section.
3. Use an electric hair dryer, an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, towels soaked in hot water, or a portable space heater kept well away from anything that can burn.
4. Keep applying heat until full water pressure returns, then check the length of pipe for drips or wet spots.
5. If the frozen section is inside a wall or ceiling, you cannot find it, or you cannot thaw it, stop and call a plumber.

Safety: what not to do

Never use a blowtorch, propane or kerosene heater, charcoal stove or any open flame to thaw a pipe; the Red Cross warns against these methods because of fire risk, and indoor fuel-burning devices can produce carbon monoxide. Do not use a hair dryer or heater near standing water. Keep space heaters at least 3 feet from anything that can burn, as the U.S. Fire Administration advises, and never use an oven or grill to heat the home. If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, leave the home and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.

When to call a plumber

Call for help when a frozen pipe is hidden in a wall, ceiling or crawl space you cannot safely reach, when the same pipe freezes every winter, when more than one fixture has no water, or when you see any sign of a crack or leak. A plumber can locate the frozen section, check it for damage, and talk with you about rerouting, insulating or protecting a repeat problem pipe. For split pipes and active leaks, see our Columbus emergency plumbing page.

• Columbus emergency plumbing
• Columbus home-service guides

Talk to a local provider

If a pipe is frozen and you cannot thaw it safely, or you suspect it has split, call the number on this page to be connected with an independent local provider serving Columbus and nearby suburbs such as Dublin, Westerville, Hilliard, Grove City, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington and Worthington. Ohio Service Hub is a referral service, not a contractor. Availability, pricing and arrival times are set by the provider you speak with, so confirm them on the call. Calls may be recorded and may be routed to an independent local service provider.

Common homeowner questions

Government and primary-source references

• American Red Cross — Frozen Pipes
• Ready.gov — Winter Weather
• U.S. Fire Administration — Heating Fire Safety
• CDC — Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics

External references support general guidance. They do not verify any specific contractor or provide a booking.