Silco PlumbingWhat Do I Do About Frozen Pipes?
If a tap is dead on a cold morning, or you see water where a pipe should be, one of your first questions is probably: “Is this frozen — and did it burst?”
There isn’t one answer that fits every house. In Kalispell and throughout the Flathead Valley, crawlspaces, garages, exterior walls, and houses that sit empty are where freeze damage usually shows up.
That’s because a pipe does not announce that it is frozen. You often find out when it cracks, or when the water will not come on.
Here is what we want you to tell us — and what not to guess at.
1. Where It Happens
Crawlspaces, garages, and exterior walls are the usual places. Poorly insulated runs anywhere in the house belong on the same list. Vacation homes, cabins, and rentals carry the same risk if they sit empty.
You are not expected to know which run froze. Tell us which tap has no water, and whether the house has been empty.
2. A Pipe That May Be Frozen and Has Not Burst
No water at one tap on a cold morning is a reason to call, whether or not anything has broken yet.
We are not going to tell you how to thaw it from a page. That is a judgment about your pipe. Heat in the wrong place does more damage than the freeze.
3. If a Pipe Has Burst
If water is actively flowing: shut off the main water supply if you can do it safely. Stay away from water near electrical outlets. Stop using fixtures until the leak is controlled. Call us.
A burst pipe is a true emergency when the water cannot be stopped without shutting off water to the whole house. A leak you can reach a shutoff for is urgent, not the same thing.
4. The Main Shutoff
Every one of those steps starts at the main shutoff. It is worth knowing where yours is before a cold night. If you are not sure, we can help you find it on a regular visit — not as a scavenger hunt at 2 a.m.
5. Before the Next Hard Freeze
Maintenance can find weak points, missing insulation, and outdoor faucets that still have a hose on them. Outdoor water hydrants are part of that conversation. So are cabins and houses that sit empty.
If you want that visit before winter, say so.
Same cold morning. Different house. Different job. One house has an uninsulated run in a garage. Another is a cabin that sat empty through a snap. It is normal for those two calls to be different jobs.
What should you have ready when you call? You don’t need to know if it burst. Just tell us what you can see:
- Whether there is no water, or water where it should not be
- Which rooms or taps are involved
- Whether the house has been empty
- Whether you can find the main shutoff
- Photos of the pipe, the wet area, or the outdoor faucet, if you can send them
Frozen Pipes in Kalispell & the Flathead Valley. Silco Plumbing helps homeowners with freeze damage and winter pipe problems in Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Whitefish and surrounding areas—from a tap that will not open to a line that has already split. Have questions? Ask us. You don’t have to thaw anything before you call, and you can send a message instead of calling.
406-471-1851 | silcoplumbingmt.com
