TSBPE #M-43891
Frozen Pipe Repair in Austin — Thaw Before It Bursts, 24/7
A frozen pipe that hasn’t burst yet is the cheapest plumbing call you’ll ever make. Thawing safely with controlled heat costs $189-$385; repairing a burst from the same line averages $1,400+ plus water damage. Austin Plumbing Pros runs 24/7 thaw service during freeze events with electric heat blankets, indirect-heat lamps, and pipe-sleeve thawing — never an open flame.
24/7 EMERGENCY · FREE QUOTES · MASTER LICENSED
Or tap the orange button to dial (512) 555-PLBR directly — a real Austin dispatcher answers.
The dirty secret of post-Uri Austin: many of the bursts didn’t happen during the freeze, they happened on the warm-up. Ice forms, pipe expands and microcracks, then pressure returns when the ice melts and water finds the crack. That’s why a Friday warm-up after a Wednesday freeze is when our phones light up. If you had a hard freeze and your faucets came back online without obvious damage, still pressure-monitor the next 72 hours — and if you hear a hiss in a wall or see a wet spot anywhere, shut the main immediately.
How To Know A Pipe Is Frozen (Before It Bursts)
A faucet that produces no water or a slow trickle on a cold morning when other faucets in the house run normally is the classic sign. Frost on visible pipes in the garage, attic, or under a sink. Banging or whistling sounds when you try to use a faucet. Bulging visible on a pipe. Catching it at any of these stages and calling for a thaw before the freeze finishes its work is the difference between a $189 fix and a flooded house.
What To Do While Waiting For Us
Open the affected faucet to relieve internal pressure (even a trickle helps). If you can access the suspected frozen section, gently warm it with a hair dryer on low — never a propane torch, never an open flame. Open cabinet doors under sinks to let house heat reach the supply lines. Keep the house above 60°F. If we’re more than 30 minutes out, shut the water off at the main as a precaution against burst.
Our Thaw Process
Step one: locate the frozen section. We use infrared thermal imaging to find ice plugs through walls and in attics. Step two: warm gradually with electric heat blankets or pipe-sleeve heaters. Never propane, never open flame. Step three: open the faucet to verify flow returns. Step four: pressure-test the section that was frozen to confirm no microcracks formed. If a microcrack is found, we cut and replace that section — better to do it now than after the next freeze. Total cost: $189 for a single-location thaw, $245-$385 if multiple sections, plus $245-$595 for any sectional repair found.
Preventing Future Freezes — The Real Fix
Closed-cell foam insulation on every attic supply line: $785-$1,250 for a typical 2,000 sqft house. Heat-trace cable on the freeze-vulnerable sections (most attic runs over exterior walls): $385-$685 installed with thermostat. Hose bib covers: $12 each, DIY. Disconnect garden hoses every fall. Drip protocol overnight on any freeze warning. Most Austin homes don’t have insulation on attic supply lines — the original builders skipped it. Adding it pays for itself in one prevented freeze event.
If The Pipe Already Burst — Different Call
If you have visible flooding, water on the floor, or a soaked ceiling, the pipe has burst. Shut off the main, drain the system at the lowest faucet, and call our burst-pipe line. Don’t waste time on the thaw — get the repair started. See our burst pipe page for that workflow.
Transparent Austin Plumbing Pricing
Service calls from $79 daytime · $189 after-hours (waived if you authorize the repair) · Free written quote on jobs over $500
Five Promises We Keep On Every Austin Job
Written estimate before we cut
Every Austin job gets a flat-rate quote texted to your phone before any drywall or pipe is touched. No surprise invoices, no nibble-charges. 📞 (512) 555-PLBR
Master plumber on every truck
TSBPE M-43891. The lead tech who arrives at your house is a Master or Journeyman, never apprentice-only. Verify any Austin plumber’s license at tsbpe.texas.gov. 📞 Verify license
Two-year parts-and-labor warranty
Repair fails inside 24 months? We come back free, parts and labor. That’s twice the typical Austin trade warranty and we mean it. 📞 Warranty claim
Every permit, pulled and closed
City of Austin, Travis County, Williamson County, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown — we know every jurisdiction and pull every permit. 📞 Same-day permit
Honest repair-vs-replace math
If the cheaper fix is the right answer, we tell you. We don’t run mandatory membership clubs. We don’t manufacture urgency to upsell a whole-house repipe when a $145 cartridge swap is what you need. 📞 Get a quote
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to thaw a frozen pipe?
$189 for a single-location thaw plus the call. Multiple locations: $245-$385. Always cheaper than waiting for it to burst.
Can I thaw it myself?
A visible accessible pipe — yes, with a hair dryer on low, never a flame. An attic or wall pipe — call us. Wrong heat in the wrong place causes the burst you’re trying to prevent.
How long does the thaw take?
45-90 minutes per location. We always pressure-test after to confirm no microcracks.
Will the pipe burst the moment it thaws?
Not if we warm gradually. Sudden steam expansion inside a partial ice plug is what bursts pipes. Our controlled warming avoids that.
Should I add heat trace to my pipes?
Worth it on the runs that froze. Add insulation everywhere; add heat trace on the chronic problem sections (typically attic runs over north-facing exterior walls).
Do you do emergency thaw at 3 a.m.?
Yes — 24/7 dispatch with the after-hours $189 call fee (waived if you authorize the work).
What about the outdoor hose bib?
Disconnect hose before the freeze. Use frost-free hose bibs (Woodford 17, $165 installed). Foam covers help marginally but aren’t a substitute for the frost-free body.
More Austin Plumbing Services
Emergency Plumber Austin · Drain Cleaning · Water Heater Repair · Leak Detection
← Back to Austin Plumbing Pros home · Or call (512) 555-PLBR for same-day service
About Austin Plumbing Pros
Austin Plumbing Pros is the city’s premium master-licensed plumbing operation, run out of three depots — South Slaughter Lane, Anderson Mill, and East Riverside — so a TSBPE-licensed plumber is on-site for most calls within 35-60 minutes of dispatch anywhere inside the 130 loop. Every emergency truck carries a Master or Journeyman as the lead tech (never apprentice-only), the standard inventory truck stocks Rheem, A.O. Smith, and Bradford White water heaters plus Moen, Delta, and Kohler cartridges and aerators, and we pull permits with the City of Austin, Travis County, Williamson County, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, and Manor jurisdictions every business day. We’ve spent enough hours pulling cast iron out of pre-1980 Hyde Park backyards and chasing slab leaks under 1990s North Austin builds that we know which symptom is the easy fix and which is buying time. When you call, a real Austin dispatcher picks up. When the truck arrives, the Master plumber writes you a flat-rate estimate before any drywall or pipe is touched. When the job’s done, you get a two-year parts-and-labor warranty. That’s the entire operation in three sentences.
📞 Same-day service in any Austin ZIP — (512) 555-PLBR · Master licensed TSBPE #M-43891 · TRRC #LP-2089 · $2M general liability · Two-year warranty · Free written quote on any job over $500.