How to stop your pipes freezing this winter

Published 17 October 2026 by Reaction Property Service

Water expands when it freezes. In a pipe, that means a split or a pushed-off joint, and the damage usually shows when the ice thaws and the water starts running again. Most frozen pipes are avoidable with a bit of preparation in autumn. Here is what is worth doing now, and what to do if a pipe freezes anyway.

Which pipes are most at risk

Pipes freeze where they are cold and the water is not moving. The usual suspects are:

• Pipes and tanks in the loft, especially above insulation rather than below it.
• Pipes on or through outside walls, in garages, outbuildings and under suspended floors.
• Outside taps.
• The boiler's condensate pipe, the plastic pipe that runs from a condensing boiler to a drain outside.

Older cottages and houses with long runs in unheated spaces, which are common around Tenterden and the villages outside Ashford, tend to have more of these than a newer house.

Before the first frost

Insulate exposed pipes

Pipe lagging is cheap, quick to fit and is the main defence. South East Water's advice is the same: pipes freeze when they are not properly insulated. Cover pipes in the loft, garage and under floors, and make sure loft tanks are insulated on the top and sides but not underneath, so a little warmth from the house can reach them.

Deal with the outside tap

If the outside tap has an isolating valve inside the house, turn it off, then open the outside tap to let it drain. An insulated cover over the tap itself helps too.

Find your stopcock and make sure it turns

The stopcock, or stop tap, is usually under the kitchen sink. It is often seized because it has not been touched in years. Find it now and turn it off and on again gently. If it will not move, get it freed or replaced while it is not an emergency.

Keep some heat in the house

If you are going away in cold weather, leave the heating on a low setting rather than off. Many boilers and thermostats have a frost setting for exactly this. An empty house with the heating off is the classic way pipes freeze.

Landlords and empty properties

Void properties over winter are a particular risk. Keep some heating on, check the property regularly, and know where the stopcock is before you need it. A landlord visit between tenancies is a good time to check lagging and valves.

The boiler condensate pipe

Condensing boilers produce water, which drains away through the condensate pipe. If the outside section freezes, the water backs up and the boiler shuts down as a safety measure. It is one of the most common winter breakdowns, and often there is nothing wrong with the boiler itself.

Signs it is the condensate pipe: the boiler stops during freezing weather, may show a fault code, and sometimes makes a gurgling noise.

To thaw it, Which? advises using warm water, never boiling. Boil a kettle and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes, or use a hot water bottle or a heat pack. Work along the outside section of pipe until the ice clears, then reset the boiler. Do not climb a ladder in icy conditions to reach a high pipe.

Longer term, a condensate pipe is less likely to freeze if more of it runs inside, the outside section is short, steep and wide enough, and it is insulated. Which? notes the internal diameter should not be smaller than 30mm. These are changes for an engineer, and worth raising at a boiler service if yours freezes most winters.

If a water pipe freezes

If a tap gives no water in freezing weather, a pipe has probably frozen. South East Water's advice is:

1. Turn off the water at the stopcock.
2. Thaw the pipe slowly with hot water bottles or a towel soaked in hot water, starting at the end nearest the tap.
3. Never use a naked flame or a blowtorch.

Check the pipe carefully as it thaws. If it has split, the leak starts once the ice melts, which is why the water should be off at the stopcock first.

Frozen and burst pipes in Ashford and Tenterden

I lag pipes, fix outside taps, free seized stopcocks and repair split pipes across Ashford, Tenterden and the surrounding villages. Small jobs are welcome, and autumn is the right time to do them. See general plumbing for the kind of work covered, or call for a free quote. If the boiler pressure has also been dropping, have a read of why a boiler keeps losing pressure.