What to Do If Your Pipes Freeze This Winter in Horsham

Published August 2026 | Frozen Pipes

Turn off your water supply at the stopcock immediately if you suspect a frozen pipe - a burst pipe can release hundreds of litres of water within minutes and cause serious structural damage to your home.

Immediate Actions - Do These NOW

When temperatures drop across West Sussex, frozen pipes can happen fast - especially in older properties with exposed pipework in lofts, garages, or external walls. Here's what to do the moment you suspect a freeze.

1. Find and turn off your stopcock. Your stopcock (also called the main isolation valve) is usually under the kitchen sink, in a utility room, or near the front of the house. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If you've never done this before, locate it now - before you need to in a panic.
2. Open a tap. Open the cold tap nearest to the suspected frozen section. This relieves pressure in the pipe and gives water somewhere to go as the ice starts to melt. Don't force any taps or fittings.
3. Check for visible damage. Look along the pipework for bulging, cracks, or damp patches on ceilings and walls. If you spot any of these signs, the pipe may already have burst - keep the stopcock off and call an emergency plumber in Horsham straight away.
4. Gently apply heat. If you can physically reach the frozen pipe and there's no sign of damage, you can attempt a slow thaw. Use a hairdryer on a low heat setting, a warm (not hot) water bottle wrapped in a cloth, or warm towels against the pipe. Always start at the end nearest to the tap and work back towards the frozen section. Never use a blowtorch or any open flame.
5. Keep your heating running. Set your central heating to run continuously at a low temperature - around 15 to 18 degrees Celsius. This helps gradually warm pipework throughout the house and prevents further freezing elsewhere in the system.

What NOT to Do

This is where most of the damage happens. Our engineers in Horsham regularly attend callouts where homeowners have made the situation significantly worse with well-intentioned but dangerous actions.

Don't use boiling water

Pouring boiling water directly onto a frozen or already compromised pipe causes rapid temperature change, which can crack plastic fittings and split copper joints. Use warm water only - your hand should be comfortable touching it.

Don't use a blowtorch or heat gun

This is one of the most common causes of house fires following a frozen pipe incident. Boilers, lagging insulation, timber joists - these are all nearby, and an open flame has no place near pipework. It's also a serious fire risk in roof spaces and under-floor voids where ventilation is poor.

Don't run the hot tap hoping to clear the blockage

If the pipe is frozen solid, running the hot tap just drains the hot water cylinder and puts additional strain on the system. It won't help, and it may create secondary problems with your boiler or cylinder pressure.

Don't ignore a damp patch

A damp stain on a ceiling or wall that appears during cold weather isn't something that "might dry out on its own." It almost certainly means water has already escaped. Turn the supply off and get a plumber out before you have a far bigger problem on your hands.

Don't re-open the stopcock without checking first

Once you've turned off the water, don't turn it back on until you're confident there's no burst section. A pipe that's frozen solid won't leak until it thaws - at which point, with full water pressure behind it, you could be facing a flood within minutes.

When This Is a Genuine Emergency vs When It Can Wait

Frozen pipes range from a minor inconvenience to a full household emergency. Here's how to read the situation and decide how urgently you need to act.

Treat it as an emergency if:

• You can see water staining, damp patches, or water actively dripping from ceilings or walls
• You have no water supply to the entire property
• You can hear running water behind a wall or ceiling when all taps are off
• The freeze has affected your boiler, leaving you without heating or hot water with vulnerable people in the home
• Your radiators are stone cold and your boiler pressure gauge has dropped significantly

In any of these situations, call an emergency plumber straight away. Don't wait to see if it resolves itself.

It can wait a few hours if:

• One tap has reduced flow but the rest of the house is working normally
• You've located the freeze, applied gentle heat, and the situation is stable with the stopcock off
• There's no visible water damage and the property is otherwise functional

Even in the "can wait" scenario, book a plumber for the same day. A frozen pipe that survived one cold night may not survive the next.

Getting Emergency Help in Horsham

Horsham is well-served by local plumbing and heating engineers, but demand spikes hard when cold weather hits. In a sharp West Sussex winter cold snap, our engineers typically see a significant rise in callouts across the Horsham district - and the homeowners who fare best are the ones who act early rather than hoping for the best.

When you call for emergency help, be ready to tell the plumber:

• Where you think the freeze is (loft, under the floor, external wall)
• Whether you've seen any water damage or damp patches
• Whether your stopcock is currently off
• What type of pipes you have, if you know (copper, plastic, or lead in very old properties)

If you use the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool before booking, you can work through the key symptoms and get a clearer picture of what you're dealing with - which also helps engineers arrive prepared with the right parts rather than having to make a return visit.

Typical response times for emergency plumbing in Horsham are one to four hours depending on the time of day and demand. Weekend and overnight callouts will typically carry a premium on top of standard rates.

On costs: expect to pay between 120 and 250 pounds for an emergency callout, which typically covers the first hour of labour. Repair costs on top depend on whether a pipe needs rejoining, replacing, or whether you're dealing with wider water damage. A typical pipe repair commonly costs between 150 and 400 pounds all in. If a section of ceiling or wall needs to be opened up to reach the affected pipework, costs can rise accordingly - but a good plumber will always walk you through the likely scope before starting work.

What the Emergency Repair Involves

When a plumber arrives at your Horsham property to deal with a frozen or burst pipe, here's what the visit typically looks like from start to finish.

1. Diagnosis. The engineer will use visual inspection and pressure testing to confirm the location and extent of the problem. For pipes hidden behind plasterboard or under floors, thermal imaging cameras can help pinpoint a freeze without unnecessarily opening up walls.
2. Controlled thaw or isolation. If the pipe is still frozen, the engineer will thaw it in a controlled way with the supply off until the full section is clear. If the pipe has already burst, they'll isolate the affected run and assess what needs replacing.
3. Repair or replacement. Burst sections are cut out and replaced. Depending on the pipe material and location, this might involve soldering copper joints, push-fit plastic connectors, or compression fittings. Most standard repairs can be completed within one to two hours.
4. Pressure test and reinstatement. Before turning the water back on, the engineer will pressure test the repair to confirm it's holding. Once satisfied, they'll reinstate the supply slowly and check all visible joints for any weeping.
5. Advice on prevention. A thorough plumber will tell you what caused the freeze and what can be done to prevent a repeat. Common recommendations include insulating exposed pipework with foam lagging (typically two to five pounds per metre at a hardware store), sealing gaps around loft hatch frames, and setting your heating to come on automatically during cold periods.

Emergency Questions

How do I find my stopcock if I have never looked for it?

Most stopcocks in UK properties sit under the kitchen sink, in a utility cupboard, or near the front wall of the house. In older West Sussex properties, they sometimes live beneath floorboards near the front door or in a box under the stairs. If you can't locate it inside, there's an external stopcock set into the pavement outside your property - your water company can talk you through accessing it, or a plumber can get to it with a stopcock key. Worth finding it now, before you need it urgently.

Can I thaw a frozen pipe myself or do I always need a plumber?

You can attempt a careful thaw yourself if the pipe is accessible, shows no sign of damage, and you're using a safe heat source like a hairdryer or warm towels. However, if there's any sign of cracking, bulging, or damp nearby, stop and call a plumber. Trying to force a thaw on a pipe that's already fractured will almost certainly cause a burst once the ice releases and pressure builds. In Horsham and across the wider area, our engineers attend this type of callout regularly during cold spells - it's a very avoidable situation.

Why do pipes in lofts freeze more than pipes elsewhere in the house?

Loft spaces are typically unheated and directly exposed to outside temperatures, which can fall sharply overnight. Pipework serving cold water tanks, overflows, or upper-floor feeds is particularly at risk if it isn't properly insulated. Pipes in garages, under suspended timber floors, and in single-skin extensions are similarly vulnerable. The fix is foam pipe lagging - it costs very little and takes minutes to fit, but makes a real difference when temperatures dip.

What insurance cover should I check after a frozen pipe incident?

Buildings insurance commonly covers sudden and accidental water damage from burst pipes, but policies vary considerably. Some exclude damage caused by inadequate insulation or by leaving a property unheated for an extended period. Look for "escape of water" cover in your policy documents, and report any damage promptly rather than waiting to assess the full extent yourself. Keep photos, note the time you discovered the problem, and record the steps you took - insurers may ask for evidence that you acted reasonably to limit the damage.