Frozen pipes can cause problems with heating and boilers when the cold weather arrives.

In fact, this is one of the biggest causes of call outs when temperatures drop.

When that happens, it often occurs in large numbers all at once, meaning we can’t always provide a fix inside of a day.

A tell-tale sign of a frozen pipe is if you turn a tap on during a period of freezing temperatures and you find that little to no water comes out.

So how can you prevent and resolve this common problem?

Read our step-by-step guide here.

Step one – Ensure you’re prepared before temperatures drop

• The first thing to do is identify any taps that continually drip. Even a small trickle can lead to a frozen pipe when temperatures drop below zero. So don’t wait, report those issues to us now.
• You should also find out where your stop tap is – most are fitted under the kitchen sink – and understand how to turn it off so you can do step two.

Step two – How to thaw a frozen pipe

• Turn off the water supply at the stop tap.
• Check any pipes that run outside of your property. If the pipe has burst, you will need to contact us, skip on to step three.
• If it hasn’t burst, slowly thaw the pipe by holding a hot water bottle or a towel soaked in hot water around the pipe. You can also use a hair dryer on the lowest setting.
• When it has thawed, reset your boiler by holding in the reset button for 10 seconds and waiting for the boiler to re-fire.

Step three – If a pipe has burst

• Turn off the water supply at the stop tap.
• Turn on all your taps to reduce any flooding and soak up any escaping water with towels.
• Report it to us immediately.
• Download our My Riverside app now
• Use our web-based version of My Riverside 

You can also call on 0345 111 0000.

Staying safe

Thawing a frozen pipe is a safe thing to do so long as you follow the tips below:

• Don’t disconnect the pipe
• Don’t try to thaw it above waist height.
• Don’t try to access the pipe or other pipes within the boiler.
• Look out for ice on the ground where you poured hot water to thaw the pipe. This could make the ground below slippery.
• Never use a naked flame or blowlamp to thaw it.