Frozen Pipes in Atlanta: What to Do First

Updated 2026-10 · Atlanta, GA

Why a mild city bursts so many pipes

Atlanta’s winters are short, and houses here were not built for long freezes. Supply pipes run through ventilated crawlspaces, along exterior walls and into unheated additions. When a real cold snap does arrive, those pipes are exposed. In December 2022 the city reached 8°F on Christmas Eve morning and stayed below freezing for days, and burst pipes flooded apartment buildings, offices and homes across the metro.

Before a hard freeze

• Close the crawlspace vents and fix any missing vent covers or broken access doors.
• Wrap exposed supply pipes in the crawlspace with foam insulation, especially near vents.
• Disconnect garden hoses and cover outdoor taps.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so room heat reaches the pipes.
• Let a cold tap on an exterior wall drip overnight during the coldest nights.
• Find the main shutoff now, while it is dry, and make sure it turns.
• If you are travelling, leave the heat on, and consider shutting the main off.

If a pipe is frozen but not split

No water from a tap, or only a trickle, on a very cold morning usually means a frozen section. Leave the tap open. Warm the pipe slowly from the tap end back, with a hair dryer, a heating pad or warm towels. Never use an open flame, and never use any heat source on a pipe that is in standing water. Thawing slowly matters: a pipe that froze may have split, and the split only shows once water flows again, so have someone ready at the shutoff.

If it has split

Close the main shutoff, turn off the water heater, open a downstairs tap, and keep water away from electrics. Then call. After a citywide freeze every plumbing company in Atlanta gets busy at once, so the shutoff is what protects the house while you wait.

Where to go next

• Emergency plumbing: the first ten minutes
• Leaks and repiping
• Water heaters