What to Do If Your Pipes Freeze This Winter in Arundel

Published October 2026 | Frozen Pipes

This checklist covers everything you need to know about spotting, managing, and preventing frozen pipes in your Arundel home - from quick visual checks you can carry out yourself to the annual professional inspections that stop problems before they turn expensive. Checking your plumbing before temperatures drop is almost always cheaper than dealing with a burst pipe and the water damage that follows.

Quick Visual Checks Anyone Can Do

You don't need to be a plumber to spot a pipe that's at risk of freezing. These are the checks our engineers recommend every homeowner carries out before winter arrives and whenever there's a cold snap forecast.

1. Check exposed pipes in unheated spaces. Lofts, garages, under-sink cupboards, and outbuildings are the most vulnerable spots. Bare copper or plastic pipework with no foam lagging around it is at risk once temperatures drop below zero.
2. Check your stopcock turns freely. Find your internal stopcock - usually under the kitchen sink or in a downstairs cupboard - and turn it a quarter turn. If it's stiff or seized, you won't be able to isolate the water quickly in an emergency. A seized stopcock is one of the most common issues our engineers find on winter call-outs in Arundel.
3. Look for signs of previous freezing. Small bulges in copper pipe, hairline cracks, or patches of limescale on the outside of a pipe suggest it may have partially frozen before. These pipes are weaker and more likely to fail under pressure.
4. Check external pipework and any outdoor tap. Any pipe running on or through an external wall is exposed to outside temperatures. If you have an outdoor tap, check that it has an isolating valve inside so you can cut the supply to it in winter.
5. Look at where pipes pass through walls or floors. Gaps around pipe penetrations let cold air in and can cause localised freezing even when the rest of the house is warm. Seal these with expanding foam or pipe collars.
6. Check the condition of any existing lagging. Foam pipe insulation degrades over time. If the lagging on your pipes is crumbling, split, or has gaps in coverage, it needs replacing. Materials typically cost just a few pounds per metre and you can fit it yourself.

Monthly Maintenance Tasks

A few simple habits through the winter months can make a real difference to whether your pipes survive a cold spell intact.

• Keep a minimum temperature in your home. If you're away or leaving rooms unheated, keep your thermostat set to at least 12 or 13 degrees Celsius. This is particularly important in older West Sussex properties where pipework may run through poorly insulated spaces.
• Run taps occasionally during cold snaps. Moving water is harder to freeze than standing water. If temperatures are forecast to drop well below zero overnight, letting a vulnerable cold tap run at a trickle can help protect exposed sections of pipe.
• Open under-sink cupboard doors. If the pipes beneath your kitchen or bathroom sink are against an external wall, leaving the cupboard door open lets warm room air circulate around them.
• Check your loft hatch closes properly. Heat rising into the loft space helps protect pipes and tanks up there. A poorly fitting or missing loft hatch lets that heat escape, leaving your cold water tank and any pipework much more exposed to the cold.
• Test your stopcock monthly. Turn it slightly and then turn it back. This keeps it from seizing up and ensures you can use it quickly if you do get a burst pipe.
• Check pipe lagging after any building work. If anyone has worked in the loft, under the floors, or behind walls recently, confirm that pipe insulation hasn't been disturbed and not put back properly.

Annual Professional Checks You Should Book

Some parts of your plumbing system need a qualified eye on them at least once a year. Our engineers serving Arundel and across West Sussex recommend booking these checks in the autumn, before the cold weather arrives in earnest.

• Cold water storage tank inspection. If your home has a cold water tank in the loft - common in older properties throughout the area - the cover, insulation, ball valve, and overflow pipe all need looking at annually.
• Full pipe inspection in unheated spaces. A plumber can check all exposed pipework, assess the condition of the lagging, and identify sections running close to external walls that would benefit from extra insulation before winter.
• Stopcock service. If your internal stopcock is old or stiff, a plumber can service or replace it. This typically costs between 80 and 150 pounds and is well worth doing if you've not been able to turn it freely in years.
• Outdoor tap winterisation. A plumber can drain down your outdoor tap and fit or check an internal isolating valve. If you're not using it over winter, the supply to it should be off.
• Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic check. Our engineers use the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool to log the condition of your pipework and flag any vulnerabilities before winter sets in, so you've got a clear picture of what needs attention rather than finding out the hard way in January.

Warning Signs That Need Immediate Attention

Frozen pipes are a common winter problem that can disrupt your water supply and, if left unchecked, lead to burst pipes and costly water damage - as watersafe.org.uk notes, acting quickly can prevent further issues and help restore your plumbing safely. Here's what to watch for.

• No water from a tap during or after a cold spell. If you turn on a tap and nothing comes out - or only a trickle - there's a good chance a pipe has frozen. Don't ignore it and assume it'll thaw on its own.
• Banging or gurgling sounds in the pipes. Strange noises when you run water or flush the toilet during cold weather can indicate partial freezing or air in the system caused by a freeze somewhere.
• Visible frost on an exposed pipe. If you can see frost or ice on the outside of a pipe, that section has almost certainly frozen inside. Apply warmth gently using a warm cloth or a hairdryer on a low setting, working from the tap end back towards the frozen section. Never use a blowtorch or any naked flame near pipework.
• Damp patches or water stains appearing suddenly. A new damp patch on a wall, ceiling, or floor during cold weather suggests a pipe may have already burst. Turn off your stopcock immediately and call a plumber.
• Low pressure across multiple outlets. A sudden, unexplained drop in water pressure throughout your whole house suggests a significant problem - either with the mains supply or a major freeze somewhere in the system.
• A bulging or discoloured section of pipe. Any visible deformation in a pipe means it's been under serious stress. Get a plumber to look at it before it fails completely.

Your Maintenance Schedule

Here's a simple calendar to help you stay on top of frozen pipe prevention in your Arundel home through the colder months.

• September. Book your annual plumbing check. Inspect and replace any damaged pipe lagging. Test your stopcock turns freely.
• October. Insulate any exposed pipes you've identified as vulnerable. Check your outdoor tap and consider fitting an isolating valve. Confirm your boiler is in good working order ahead of winter.
• November. Set a minimum thermostat temperature for overnight and when you're out. Open under-sink cupboard doors on very cold nights. Check your loft hatch fits securely.
• December and January. Monitor the weather forecast regularly. During cold snaps, let vulnerable taps trickle overnight. Keep your plumber's number somewhere easy to find.
• February. Often the coldest month across West Sussex. Keep up the cold-snap precautions. Check for any pipe damage caused by the winter so far.
• March. As temperatures recover, inspect all pipework for any damage sustained over winter. Sort any issues now before they're hidden away and forgotten until next year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do first if I think my pipe has frozen?

Turn off your internal stopcock immediately to isolate the water supply - if the pipe has already cracked, this stops it flooding when it thaws. Then try to warm the frozen section gently using a warm cloth or a hairdryer on a low setting, working from the outlet end back towards where the freeze is likely to be. Keep the tap open so water can escape as the ice melts. Never use a blowtorch or any direct flame on pipework. If you can't locate the frozen section or you're not confident, call a qualified plumber. In Arundel and the surrounding area, a call-out for a frozen or burst pipe typically costs between 100 and 250 pounds, depending on the time of day and the scale of the problem.

Which pipes are most likely to freeze in a typical UK home?

Pipes in unheated loft spaces are the most commonly affected, particularly cold water storage tanks and the pipework feeding them. Pipes running along or through external walls are also high risk, as are those in garages, outbuildings, and under ground-floor floorboards where there's limited insulation beneath. In older properties - and there are many throughout Arundel and the wider area with their original pipework layout - exposed runs can appear in places you wouldn't naturally think to check. A professional inspection in the autumn is the most reliable way to find them before winter arrives.

Is it worth lagging my pipes myself or should I get a plumber in?

For accessible pipes in the loft, under sinks, or in a garage, fitting foam pipe lagging yourself is a perfectly reasonable DIY job. The materials cost very little - typically just a few pounds per metre - and the foam splits lengthways so you can clip it around existing pipes without any soldering or special tools. However, if the vulnerable pipes are hidden behind walls, under floors, or in awkward roof spaces, it's worth getting a plumber to assess and insulate them properly. Leaving gaps in the lagging can create a cold spot right at the point where the insulation ends, which in some cases makes things worse than having no lagging at all.

How much does it cost to repair a burst pipe in the UK?

A repair to an accessible burst pipe typically costs between 150 and 350 pounds for labour and materials. If the pipe is concealed behind a wall or under flooring, costs rise significantly once you factor in making good the surfaces. Water damage to plasterwork, flooring, and ceilings can push the total well above 1,000 pounds in more serious cases, which is why prevention is almost always the cheaper option. Insulating your pipes properly and booking an annual plumbing check each autumn are both low-cost steps that significantly reduce your risk over the course of a West Sussex winter.