Same-Day Service7 Days a WeekFree Estimate
Plumbers of New York
Plumbers of New York
Plumbing · New York
Call

Burst Pipe

Shut the main and leave the taps open to drain the system, because a frozen line does its damage in the hour it thaws rather than while it's still solid.

Tap to Call(855) 321-3426

When this becomes an emergency

What a pro does

Most burst calls upstate arrive on the thaw, not on the coldest night. Ice plugs a line and nothing leaks while it's frozen solid, so the failure that split the pipe at two in the morning announces itself at noon the next day when the sun gets on the wall. The plumber shuts the water and drains the system down before hunting, since a pipe that's frozen in more than one place will let go again as soon as it warms. Then it's a question of where the cold got in. Buffalo doubles and Rochester foursquares tend to fail in the same handful of spots, and so do the camps and older farmhouses out past Utica: an unheated back kitchen, a bathroom added over a porch, a run through a rim joist where somebody pulled insulation out for wiring. Lake-effect makes it worse by burying a foundation vent in snow one week and leaving it wide open to wind the next. The damaged section gets cut back past the split on both sides and rejoined in matching material. After that the plumber usually wants to talk about why that particular pipe was cold.

Frequently asked questions

Not yet. Ice can split a pipe and then hold its own water back until it melts, so the leak appears hours later as the house warms. If a line froze and has now thawed with no sign of water, it's still worth watching that area closely for a day.
It comes down to what's between the pipe and the outside air. Bathrooms hung off the back of a house, kitchens in a former porch and anything running through an outside wall with thin cavity insulation sit closest to the weather, and in a Watertown or Plattsburgh winter that difference is enough.
Moving water is harder to freeze and an open tap gives expanding ice somewhere to push, so it lowers the odds on a line that's marginal. It isn't a cure. A run in a wall that gets genuinely cold will still freeze, which is why the lasting answer is heat or insulation rather than a dripping tap all winter.
That varies by policy, and questions like whether the house was heated while empty often decide it. Take photographs before anything is torn out and contact your insurance provider to find out what your particular cover includes.

Burst Pipe?

Get connected with a local pro now.

Tap to Call(855) 321-3426

Keep going

Plumbing in New YorkClogged DrainDrain CleaningEmergency PlumberNo Hot WaterOverflowing ToiletPlumber Near MeSewer Line RepairSlab LeakSump Pump RepairWater Heater RepairWater Leak Repair

disclaimer: Plumbers of New York is a free service to assist homeowners in connecting with local service providers. All contractors/providers are independent and Plumbers of New York does not warrant or guarantee any work performed. It is the responsibility of the homeowner to verify that the hired contractor furnishes the necessary license and insurance required for the work being performed. All persons depicted in a photo or video are actors or models and not contractors listed on Plumbers of New York.

Same-day and 24/7 emergency services are subject to provider participation, location, technician availability, and demand. Availability is not guaranteed and may vary by market and appointment capacity.

We use cookies and session-based analytics, including session replays (with form inputs masked), to improve this site. See our Privacy Policy.

About · Contact · Privacy · Terms · Disclosure · Sitemap

© 2026 Plumbers of New York. All rights reserved.