Okay I live in a 3 bedroom house with a crawl space. I have no idea where any of my water pipes are I know there frozen because its 20 degrees Fahrenheit and no water is coming out the showers sinks. I don't know anything about plumbing or home improvement I went from an apartment building to a house and this is my first winter in said house. Can anyone tell me how to locate pipes and how to unfreeze them also I don't even know where my main water supply comes in at I'm thinking in my kitchen sink because we have a sub pump right outside the kitchen window where we put a filter in because of rusty water, That's heated from an electric heater put in there. I think run on a sewer but I'm not sure because when I bought it I had some one say there is a well when I bought the house. I'm an 18 year old female who never thought I would have to deal with any of this so i never bothered trying to learn anything about fixing a home. I read online to thaw pipes out but I don't even know where the pipes are or what they look like. also I called a plumbing and heating company and they said that they won't come out because tonight's going to be even colder and that there wouldn't be a point to come out here unfreeze the pipes just for them to be froze again come morning. Please can anyone help! I have one bathroom a kitchen and a laundry room. I need help

??? WTF ??? a crawl space ??? in MINNESOTA ???

you are what a dry-rocker does to drywall (SCREWED)

you WILL need a local COMPETANT plumber

licensed - bonded - insured

when it thaws you WILL FIND all the pipe breaks

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



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you can try to use a hair dryer on the pipes if you can get to them

or hire a plumber

those are your only choices


also figure out how to insulate the pipes so it doesnt happen again

But I have no idea where the pipes are.

Thawing pipes that you can't find is like performing open heart surgery without the benefit of medical knowledge or the right equipment. Your neighbors might be your best source of relief until a licensed plumber can be hired. Open your faucets so that when the freeze does thaw, you will have running waters.

Best Wishes



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quote; also I called a plumbing and heating company and they said that they won't come out because tonight's going to be even colder and that there wouldn't be a point to come out here unfreeze the pipes just for them to be froze again come morning.

Call a different plumbing company, because any GOOD company would know that the longer pipes stay frozen the more likely they are to break. Once you get them thawed they should be able to tell you what to do to keep them from freezing again. A blow dryer should unthaw the pipes, but we cannot tell you where to use it.

no one here can help you

hire a plumber and when he finds the pipes insulate them against the cold so they dont freeze again

"??? WTF ??? a crawl space ??? in MINNESOTA ??? "

This is not out of the ordinary. There are many houses here in Michigan with crawlspaces.

You just need to make sure it is insulated and should have a heat duct cut in.

The forecast for MN is really cold. You really need to call a pro to assist you. In the meantime, you can do a few things that may help:
- Keep your house thermostat up and the house toasty warm 24 hrs/day.
- Open the sink cabinet doors and leave them open.
- Turn all faucets slightly open.
- Do your homework. Find out where the house main water shut-off valve is located. If you pay a water bill, you are on city water. If you are on a well, look in your circuit breaker panel and find the breaker labeled "Well Pump".
-Be alert. When the pipes do thaw, you could have a leak or burst pipe. Listen for any water spray or drip sounds. If you hear anything un-usual, shut the water off.



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1) Try not to panic.

2) If nothing is leaking you may not have any problems once the pipes thaw out.

3) If you have a heater keep it on to keep heat in the house to help keep everything from freezing. From now on keep it on even when you are not home to keep things from freezing when you know it is going to be cold.

4) Turn your faucets on just a little bit to release the water pressure in your plumbing system. This will help prevent pipes from bursting when they freeze. You only have to turn the water on a little bit to releive pressure as the ice forms and expands in your pipes, just a small dribble will help. It's not the expanding ice that bursts pipes, it's the trapped water pressure caused by the expanding ice.

From now on, whenever you know freezing temperatures are coming turn a couple faucets on just a little to releive the pressure. They will also help keep warmer water flowing through the pipes and help keep the system from freezing at all.

5) Use this time to find out where you shut-off valves are? When the pipes thaw you may have leaks. You want to be able to trun the water off if that happens. And as long as you're at it you should learn how to turn your gas and electricity off too. It will only be a matter of time before you'll need to know where those are.

6) If you're up for it... Take a crawl into your crawl space. Use your common sense to stay safe, and look for leaking water. It isn't rocket science. You just want to look at the pipes and make sure they are not leaking. Leaking water will be easy to spot and hear. Once everything thaws, if everything works, and there's no water leaking under you house, I would worry about it!

#2. If the pipes are frozen and burst, they will NOT leak until it thaws out.
#4. It is both the expansion of water as it freezes and the compression of water between freezing spots that break the pipes, and opening a faucet will do NOTHING to prevent it, unless it is done BEFORE the freezing seals the pipe so water cannot flow.

Leaving the faucets slighty opened WILL help reduce the time it takes to completely thaw the ice inside the pipes, and return the system to full pressure, once the thawing methods are able to make them start dripping again.

It will help to hasten the thawing, but it will do nothing to prevent the pipes from bursting if the thawing process is not started on time.

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