No Heat in Freezing Weather: How to Prevent Frozen Pipes Until Help Arrives

Quick answer: When the heat goes out in freezing weather, call for emergency heating service first. While you wait, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, let those faucets drip, keep interior doors open, and close off unused rooms. Never heat your home with an oven, grill, generator or unvented fuel heater; carbon monoxide can kill. If a pipe freezes, thaw it gently with warm air, never an open flame, and if one bursts, shut off the main water valve.

A heating failure on a frigid night is more than uncomfortable. Pipes can freeze and burst, causing serious water damage, and people turn to unsafe ways of staying warm. Here's how to protect your home and family until your heat is back, whether you're in an inland town like Lakehurst, Millstone or New Hanover or anywhere else we serve.

Step 1: Call for help and do the quick checks

Before you call, take two minutes to rule out simple causes:

• Thermostat set to Heat with fresh batteries
• Furnace or boiler service switch on, breaker not tripped
• Furnace filter not completely clogged
• For gas heat: gas supply on (other gas appliances working)
• For heat pumps: outdoor unit not buried in snow or ice

See furnace not working: a checklist, boiler not heating and heat pump not heating. If none of those fix it, call us any time; we answer 24/7.

If you smell gas, leave the house immediately and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.

Step 2: Protect your pipes

Pipes most at risk are in exterior walls, crawl spaces, unheated garages, basements with little insulation and under kitchen and bathroom sinks on outside walls.

1. Open cabinet doors under sinks so warmer room air reaches the pipes.
2. Let faucets drip (both hot and cold) on exterior walls. Moving water is less likely to freeze, and a dripping faucet relieves pressure if ice forms.
3. Keep interior doors open so heat from any safe source spreads.
4. Close garage doors if pipes run through the garage.
5. Don't turn off the water heater; it keeps some water warm.
6. Know where your main water shutoff is before you need it.

Step 3: Stay warm safely

• Dress in layers, use blankets and gather in one room.
• Close off unused rooms and keep curtains closed at night.
• Electric space heaters can help if used carefully: keep them three feet from anything flammable, plug them directly into a wall outlet (not an extension cord), and never leave them running while you sleep or leave the room.
• Never use a gas oven or stove, charcoal or gas grill, camping heater, or generator indoors or in a garage to heat your home. These produce carbon monoxide.
• Make sure carbon monoxide alarms work. See carbon monoxide safety.
• Check on vulnerable people: older relatives, infants and anyone with health conditions may need to go somewhere warm.

If a pipe has frozen

Signs: a faucet produces only a trickle or nothing, or you see frost on a pipe.

• Keep the faucet open so water can flow as the ice melts.
• Apply gentle heat: a hair dryer, warm towels or an electric space heater aimed at the pipe from a safe distance.
• Never use an open flame, torch or propane heater on pipes.
• Work from the faucet back toward the frozen section.
• If you can't reach it or it won't thaw, call a plumber.

If a pipe bursts

1. Shut off the main water valve right away.
2. Turn off electricity to areas where water is near outlets or appliances, if you can do so safely.
3. Call a plumber to repair the pipe.
4. Document damage with photos for your insurance company.
5. Call us to restore heat and check whether water reached the furnace, boiler or ductwork.

Preventing it next winter

• Schedule a fall heating tune-up to catch problems before the cold arrives. See the seasonal maintenance checklist.
• Insulate exposed pipes in crawl spaces, garages and exterior walls.
• Seal air leaks near pipes.
• Consider a smart thermostat that alerts you if the temperature drops, especially for second homes.
• Keep second homes heated to a safe minimum in winter.
• Join the Prime Comfort Club for yearly tune-ups and priority scheduling.

Extra precautions for second homes and vacant houses

If you own a shore house or a home that sits empty in winter, a heating failure can go unnoticed for days. Keep the heat set to a safe minimum, consider a smart thermostat or temperature sensor that sends alerts, have someone check the property regularly, and know where the main water shutoff is. Some owners drain the plumbing for winter; if you do, have it done properly.

Keep a winter emergency kit

Before the cold season, put together a few basics: flashlights, extra blankets, a battery-powered radio, fresh batteries for thermostats and CO alarms, a list of emergency numbers and the location of your water and gas shutoffs. When the heat goes out on a cold night, being prepared keeps everyone calmer and safer.

24/7 emergency heating service

We repair furnaces, boilers and heat pumps around the clock across Ocean, Monmouth, Burlington and Middlesex counties, including emergency service in Lakehurst, New Hanover and South Plainfield. Call us any time. Read more in what to do in an HVAC emergency.