Frozen pipes

In a cold snap, a frozen pipe is the call that comes first in the morning: a kitchen tap that only coughs, or a loft tank that has stopped filling. Hampstead sits on the highest ground in inner London, about 137 metres up on the Heath, and homes near the top of the hill are among the first in the city to feel the frost.

Right now

1. Find your stopcock and make sure it turns, in case the pipe splits as it thaws.
2. Open the tap fed by the frozen pipe, so melting water can escape.
3. Warm it gently. Use a hairdryer on low or a hot water bottle, working from the tap end back towards the frozen section.
4. Never use a naked flame. Old houses are full of timber, and a blowtorch can start a fire or split a pipe.
5. If it splits, close the stopcock straight away and call 07862 142953. If you are not sure, WhatsApp us a photo.

Boilers that stop in the frost

Many condensing boilers have a plastic condensate pipe that runs outside to a drain. In a hard frost it can freeze and block, and the boiler shuts down with a fault code. Pouring warm, not boiling, water over the outside section often thaws it. If you cannot reach the pipe safely, call us. If the pipe is clear and the boiler still will not restart, the fault is in the boiler itself, and we do no gas work.

Where pipes freeze in older houses

The pipes most at risk are the ones in places that were never meant to be warm: lofts above Victorian bedrooms, cellars and vaults under the pavement, outside walls facing north, and pipes boxed in against old solid brickwork. Houses converted into flats often have long runs through unheated communal areas too.

After the thaw

If a pipe has split, we cut out the damaged section and repair it properly, then check along the run for other weak points. Before we leave, we lag or reroute pipes in exposed places so the same spot does not freeze again next winter. If the cold has damaged a ceiling or floor, see water leaking through the ceiling.

We deal with frozen and split pipes across Hampstead, Primrose Hill, Belsize Park, Swiss Cottage and West Hampstead. A pipe that has already burst needs burst pipe repair. We also cover every other area we serve, from Mayfair and Chelsea to Alexandra Park.