Greenville’s mild winters can make frozen pipes seem like someone else’s problem. But a brief stretch below 32°F is enough to freeze water inside an exposed line, particularly where plumbing runs through a crawl space, garage, attic, or exterior wall. Knowing what to do before and during a freeze can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a burst pipe soaking your floors.
Since 1984, we’ve helped homeowners throughout Upstate South Carolina with plumbing problems, including emergencies that surface during sudden winter weather. Here’s what we’ve learned works.
Why Greenville Homes Aren’t Immune
A pipe doesn’t need to be outdoors to freeze. Cold air moves through gaps around foundation openings, pipe penetrations, and poorly sealed walls, lowering the temperature around a water line long before the rest of the home feels cold.
Water expands as it freezes, and that expansion creates pressure. A weak section can split even if the ice blockage forms somewhere else. The damage isn’t always visible right away. A burst pipe often doesn’t start leaking until the ice melts and flow returns.
Watch for these warning signs:
- Reduced water flow From one faucet or fixture during freezing weather
- No water flow From a fixture that normally has reliable pressure
- Visible frost On an exposed pipe or near a plumbing connection
- Unusual sounds Such as banging, whistling, or clanking when water is turned on
- Damp surfaces Beneath sinks, along walls, or near ceilings after temperatures rise
A slow faucet during a freeze deserves attention, especially when it serves a kitchen, bathroom, or laundry area on an exterior wall. It may mean ice is already restricting the line before a complete blockage forms.
Prepare Your Plumbing Before Temperatures Drop
The most effective preparation happens before the cold arrives. Pipe insulation reduces heat loss from exposed lines, but it works best alongside air sealing and attention to the home’s most vulnerable spaces.
Protect Exposed Pipes & Cold Air Entry Points
Check accessible pipes in crawl spaces, garages, attics, unfinished basements, utility rooms, and under sinks on exterior walls. Foam pipe insulation can shield these lines from cold air, and gaps around pipes entering walls or floors should be sealed to limit drafts.
Pay attention to rooms that run cooler than the rest of the house. A guest bathroom with a closed door, an unheated garage, or a laundry room near an exterior door puts plumbing at greater risk than a centrally located kitchen or bathroom.
Disconnect Outdoor Hoses
Remove garden hoses from every outdoor hose bib, drain them, and store them somewhere dry. A connected hose traps water at the faucet, which can damage the hose bib or the plumbing behind it. Greenville Water recommends covering exterior hose bibs before freezing weather. Homes with irrigation systems should also drain the backflow preventer assemblies to reduce the chance of cold weather damage.
Find the Main Water Shutoff Valve
Every adult in the household should know where the main water shutoff is. It may be near the water meter, water heater, garage, crawl space access, or another utility area depending on the plumbing layout. Turn the valve carefully to confirm it operates, then return it to its normal position. If a pipe leaks after freezing, shutting the water off quickly can limit how much water reaches your floors, walls, and cabinets.
What to Do During a Cold Snap
Keep the thermostat set to maintain steady indoor heat rather than lowering it sharply overnight. Greenville Water advises setting the thermostat no lower than 55°F when a home will be unoccupied during a freeze. Keep interior doors open to rooms with plumbing so warm air can reach bathrooms, laundry rooms, and other spaces that tend to become isolated from the home’s main heat source.
Open cabinet doors below kitchen and bathroom sinks when plumbing runs along an exterior wall. This lets warmer room air circulate around supply lines that would otherwise sit inside a cold cabinet. A small, steady drip from a faucet can also help. Focus on fixtures connected to lines in a crawl space, exterior wall, or garage rather than leaving every faucet running without a reason.
If You Leave Home During Freezing Weather
A vacant house during a cold spell adds real risk because a frozen line or slow leak can go unnoticed for hours. Keep the heat running, open sink cabinets where appropriate, and don’t close off rooms with exposed plumbing. For longer absences, ask someone to check in during severe weather. They should look for a loss of heat, water near fixtures, or unusual sounds that suggest plumbing trouble.
Some homeowners shut off the water supply before an extended trip, which is a reasonable option depending on the plumbing layout and heating plan. If you do, maintain enough heat to protect the water remaining in pipes and know which appliances and fixtures will be affected. Before you leave, write down the main shutoff location, emergency contacts, and our number so whoever checks the house can reach someone quickly if something goes wrong.
What to Do If a Pipe Freezes or Bursts
If you find active leaking, flooding, or evidence of a split pipe, shut off the main water supply immediately. Don’t use an open flame or propane torch to thaw a pipe. Direct heat can damage nearby materials, create a fire hazard, and cause a hidden crack to open as the ice melts.
If the frozen section is visible and accessible, gentle heat from the home’s heating system or a carefully used hair dryer may help. Keep the faucet open so melting ice has somewhere to go, stop immediately if water starts escaping, and don’t try to thaw a pipe hidden behind walls or ceilings. Reduced flow, an inaccessible frozen line, visible pipe damage, or any uncertainty about the source of moisture are all reasons to call for help. A plumber can locate the affected section, check for damage after thawing, and address the conditions that let the line freeze in the first place.
A Practical Winter Pipe Checklist
Protecting your plumbing comes down to addressing vulnerable lines before cold weather arrives and acting quickly when something changes. Before the next freeze, run through this list:
Winter plumbing priorities:
- Insulate exposed pipes In crawl spaces, garages, attics, and utility areas
- Disconnect outdoor hoses And protect each outdoor hose bib
- Drain irrigation equipment Including the backflow preventer where applicable
- Maintain indoor heat And keep the thermostat at 55°F or higher while away
- Open cabinet doors Beneath sinks served by exterior wall plumbing
- Use a small faucet drip For fixtures connected to vulnerable lines during severe freezes
- Locate the main water shutoff valve Before a leak turns into an emergency
If a frozen line, burst pipe, or leak develops after a freeze, our team at Five Star Plumbing Heating Cooling and Electrical provides 24/7 plumbing emergency service with no extra charges for evenings or weekends. Call us at (864) 306-4898 and we’ll get someone to you as quickly as possible.