Frozen Pipe Thaw in Knaphill
A homeowner in Knaphill called during a cold snap in December — they had no water at all from any tap in the house. The temperature had dropped to -8°C overnight. They had checked ...
Response time
40 minutes
Time on site
2 hours
Cost range
£175
Warranty
12 months
The Problem
A homeowner in Knaphill called during a cold snap in December — they had no water at all from any tap in the house. The temperature had dropped to -8°C overnight. They had checked with neighbours who all had water, confirming the issue was internal to their property.
The property was a 1980s semi-detached house with the main supply pipe entering through the garage, which was unheated. The homeowner suspected a frozen pipe but did not know where or how to resolve it safely.
The Diagnosis
We inspected the property and traced the supply pipe from the internal stopcock back to where it entered through the garage wall. The pipe was 15mm copper running along the garage ceiling with no pipe insulation. The pipe was frozen solid in a 2-metre section where it ran along the uninsulated exterior wall of the garage.
The pipe had not yet burst — copper pipes often split during freezing rather than immediately, and the split becomes apparent only when the pipe thaws. We needed to thaw the pipe carefully and check for any splits.
The Repair
We applied gentle heat to the frozen section using a hot water bottle and warm towels wrapped around the pipe — never a naked flame or heat gun, which can damage pipework and cause a fire. The pipe was thawed gradually over approximately 45 minutes.
Once water began flowing, we checked the entire exposed section for leaks — no splits were found. We then lagged the full pipe run with foam insulation to prevent future freezing. We also recommended improving the garage insulation and keeping the garage door closed during cold weather.
Traced frozen pipe in unheated garage
Thawed pipe safely with warm water method
Lagged full pipe run with foam insulation
Outcome & Advice to the Homeowner
Water supply was restored and no pipe damage was found. The homeowner was relieved that the pipe had not burst and that the insulation would prevent future freezing. We advised keeping a tap dripping during extreme cold to keep water moving through the pipe.
We recommended lagging all exposed pipework in the garage and loft, and offered to return to insulate the remaining pipes before the next winter freeze.
Job Summary
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