This page is about cold-weather pipe trouble, which accounts for many of the calls that come in each winter. We don’t have an office in Falconhurst, and a plumber’s arrival time will depend on who’s available. In a cold snap, that is also when everyone else’s pipes freeze too, so call early.
Where pipes freeze in a typical house
- Exterior walls. A kitchen sink on an outside wall is the textbook case. Open the cabinet doors on a cold night so room heat reaches the pipes.
- Garages and rooms over them. Supply lines running through an unheated garage, or in a floor above one, lose heat quickly.
- Crawl spaces and basements with drafts. A gap in the foundation or a vent left open can freeze a pipe that otherwise seems protected.
- Outdoor taps. A hose left on, or an indoor valve left open to the spigot, can let ice form inside the pipe.
Frozen is not the same as burst
If a tap runs very slowly or not at all on a cold morning, the pipe may be frozen, not broken. That’s the moment to open the tap, apply gentle heat, and check for leaks as it thaws. The steps are on our frozen pipe repair page. If the pipe is already split or soaking a wall, the page on emergency burst pipe repair applies.
If you’re away
An empty house is the riskiest in winter, because the heat can fail and nobody is there to notice. Keep the thermostat at a safe temperature, ask someone to check the house during a cold spell, and know where the main valve is. If you plan a long trip, you can also shut the main off and drain the lines, but ask a plumber how to do it right for your house, especially if it has a hot water heating system or a sprinkler.
Is it your house or the street?
WSSC Water has said that main breaks and frozen meters can follow a hard cold spell. If the whole house loses water at the same time as neighbors, call WSSC at 301-206-4002 before assuming your pipes froze. Wooded lots and detached outbuildings add cold-weather risks of their own, which we cover on the Potomac Woods and Great Falls Estates pages.
When you’re ready to call, our main page on Potomac burst pipe repair explains what to expect.
Questions people ask
Should I leave my taps dripping in a hard freeze?
What if the thermostat says it’s warm but pipes still froze?
Burst pipe services you can ask for
Frozen Pipe Repair
Thawing frozen lines and fixing the splits ice leaves behind.
Emergency Burst Pipe Repair
A split pipe or blown joint with water actively escaping.
Wall Pipe Leak Repair
Hidden leaks inside walls: damp drywall, stains, sound of running water.
A note on this guide. This page is general information, last reviewed October 2026. It can’t replace a plumber looking at your actual pipes, and Burst Pipe Fix Pros does not perform plumbing work.