January cold snaps here regularly push nights well below zero. Pipes in outside walls, in a rim joist above the foundation, under a kitchen sink on an exterior wall or in an attached garage freeze first. Ice expands, the pipe splits, and the water stays trapped until the thaw, then pours out at full house pressure.
Where pipes freeze in local homes
Split-levels and two-stories often run supply pipe through the rim joist area or along a garage wall. Bonus rooms over garages, three-season porches and hose bibs with a shutoff left open are common trouble spots. In older homes near downtown, pipes in uninsulated crawl spaces and exterior walls freeze more easily.
- Rim joists and band boards above the foundation
- Kitchen and bath sinks on outside walls
- Pipes in attached garages and over garage ceilings
- Outdoor faucets that were not drained in fall
Why the wall has to be opened
Water from a split pipe runs down inside the wall and soaks the fiberglass insulation, which holds water against the framing for weeks. The tech who does the walkthrough uses thermal imaging and meters to find the wet cavity, then the crew removes the wet insulation and enough drywall to dry the studs and plates. Dried in place, a soaked cavity stays wet.
Drying in winter
Cold air holds little moisture, which helps drying, but cold framing dries slowly. The drying team runs LGR dehumidifiers and air movers and keeps the house heated until readings reach the goal. Ready.gov's winter weather page and the National Weather Service cold safety page cover keeping pipes and people safe in extreme cold.