Frozen Pipes in Louisiana: Why Our Houses Burst and Northern Ones Don't
A hard freeze in Louisiana does more plumbing damage than the same temperature in Minnesota, and the reason is construction, not weather.
Northern houses run supply lines through conditioned interior space, insulate heavily, and bury service lines well below the frost line. Houses here run pipes through uninsulated crawl spaces, attics and exterior walls, because for 360 days a year that is completely fine.
Why the damage shows up on the thaw
Water expanding as it freezes rarely bursts the pipe at the point of the ice. It creates enormous pressure between the ice plug and a closed faucet downstream, and the pipe fails at its weakest point — often a fitting some distance away.
But nothing leaks while it is frozen. The ice is plugging the hole it made. When the temperature climbs and the plug melts, water comes through the break at full pressure, usually while everyone is at work.
That is why our phone rings hardest the morning *after* a freeze, not during it.
Before the freeze — the checklist that works
- Disconnect hose bibs and drain outside spigots. A connected hose holds water against the sill cock and splits it.
- Open cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks on exterior walls, so household heat reaches the pipes.
- Let one or two faucets drip — a moving trickle, not a stream. Movement resists freezing and, more importantly, relieves pressure if a plug forms.
- Insulate exposed pipe in crawl spaces, attics and garages. Foam sleeve is a few dollars a length.
- Know where your main shut-off is *before* you need it in the dark.
- Keep the heat at 55°F or above even if you are away.
During the freeze — if a tap stops running
You likely have a plug forming. Leave the tap open so melt water has somewhere to go, and apply gentle heat to the exposed section — a hair dryer, a heat lamp, towels soaked in hot water. Work from the faucet end backwards toward the frozen section.
Never use an open flame or a blowtorch on a pipe. We see the fire damage from that more often than the freeze damage.
After the freeze — what to check
Walk the house with the water on and look and listen:
- Any tap running weaker than usual
- Damp spots on ceilings, at the base of exterior walls, or in the crawl space
- Sound of running water with everything shut off
- Water meter dial moving with no fixtures open
Any of those means a break. Shut the main and call — burst pipe repair is what we run hardest in the days after a freeze.
Repeat freeze damage means a design problem
If the same run has burst twice, insulating it again is not the answer. Rerouting the pipe out of the cold space, or repiping that section, costs less than a third burst and the drywall repair that comes with it.
We staff up for freezes
When a freeze warning goes out, we add crews and extend dispatch hours because we know what the following morning looks like. Call (833) 435-9778 any hour.