Every couple of winters the Lowcountry gets a hard freeze, and our phone doesn’t stop for three days. It’s counterintuitive: colder states see far fewer burst pipes than we do. The reason is simple — homes up north are built for it. Homes here aren’t.
Why local homes are vulnerable
- Crawlspaces and open under-house runs. Common through Summerville, Ladson and Goose Creek, and standard on elevated homes at Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island. Supply lines run through unconditioned air with little or no insulation.
- Exposed exterior plumbing. Hose bibs, outdoor showers and irrigation tie-ins are on the outside of the wall with nothing protecting them.
- Attic and garage runs. Some newer construction runs supply through unconditioned attic space, which is the coldest part of the house in a freeze.
- Vacant properties. Rentals and second homes sitting empty with the heat off are where the worst damage happens, because nobody finds it for days.
Do this before the cold arrives
- Find your main shut-off and make sure it turns. This is the single most valuable thing on the list. If you can kill the water in thirty seconds, a burst line is a repair. If you can’t, it’s a renovation.
- Disconnect every hose. A connected hose traps water in the bib and splits it. This one causes more burst spigots here than anything else.
- Insulate exposed lines. Foam sleeves on crawlspace, garage and under-house runs cost very little and work.
- Cover hose bibs. Insulated covers are a few dollars each.
- Close crawlspace vents during the freeze, and reopen them after — you want airflow the rest of the year.
- Shut off and drain irrigation. Backflow devices are exposed and expensive to replace.
During the freeze
- Let a pencil-thin trickle run from the fixture farthest from where water enters the house — moving water is much harder to freeze
- Open vanity and sink cabinets on exterior walls so room heat reaches the pipes
- Keep the thermostat at 60°F or higher even if you’re away
- If you’re leaving a house empty for the cold stretch, shut the water off at the main and open a low fixture to drain the system
If a pipe already froze
No water at a fixture during a freeze usually means a frozen line. Shut off the main first — a lot of damage happens on the thaw, not the freeze, and you want the ability to stop it. Then warm the area gently with a space heater or hair dryer. Never use a torch or open flame; we’ve seen the fire damage that causes, and it’s worse than the plumbing bill.
After the thaw
Walk the house. Check under sinks, in the crawlspace, along the ceiling under any upstairs bathroom, and at every exterior spigot. Watch the water meter with everything off — if it’s moving, you have a leak somewhere you can’t see yet.
Want it handled before the next cold snap? We do freeze prep visits across Summerville, Charleston and the beach communities. Book online or call us.
