How to Keep Your Pipes From Freezing This Maine Winter

A single frozen pipe can turn into thousands of dollars of water damage the moment it thaws and splits. In Maine, the risk starts with the first hard cold snap and lasts until spring, so now is the time to get ahead of it.

Know which pipes freeze first. Water lines in unheated spaces are the most exposed: crawlspaces, attics, garages, porches, and pipes that run along exterior walls. If you are on a well, the line from the well and the pressure tank area deserve extra attention, because a cold basement corner or an uninsulated well pit can freeze them too.

Insulate what you can reach. Foam pipe sleeves from any hardware store are cheap and quick to install on exposed lines. For pipes in very cold spots, heat cable rated for pipes is an option, but install it exactly as the manufacturer says. Sealing drafts where pipes pass through outside walls and sill plates makes a bigger difference than most people expect.

Shut down the outside water. Disconnect garden hoses, then close the indoor shutoff valve for each outdoor spigot and open the spigot to let it drain. A hose left attached traps water in the faucet and is one of the most common causes of a burst line inside the wall.

On the coldest nights, keep water moving and warm air reaching the pipes. Let a faucet on an outside wall drip slightly, and open the cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks. Keep the thermostat at the same setting day and night, and if you are leaving for a few days, the American Red Cross recommends never setting it below 55 degrees.

Learn where your main water shutoff is before you need it. If a pipe does burst, shutting off the main right away is the single biggest thing you can do to limit the damage. Make sure everyone in the house knows where it is and that the valve actually turns.

If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, a pipe may already be frozen. Keep that faucet open and apply gentle heat to the section of pipe you suspect, using a hair dryer, a heating pad, or a space heater kept well away from anything flammable. Never use a torch, a propane heater, or any open flame on a pipe.

Frozen pipes often mean the house got colder than it should have, so check your heat as well. If your boiler, furnace, or heat pump stopped running, see our guide on what to do when your heat goes out in winter.

If you cannot find the frozen section, cannot thaw it, or a pipe has already split, it is time for professional plumbing help. Aces Highlands handles frozen and burst pipe calls across Greater Portland and Southern Maine, with emergency service when you need it. Call us and we will get the water flowing again and find out why it froze.