During the winter months you know it will be cold, but you never know when extremely frigid temps may come along. When your area experiences a cold snap that is much colder than you're used to, there is the risk that pipes in your home may freeze. If there is water in your pipes when temperatures fall well below freezing, it is possible for the water to freeze and expand, which can cause the pipe to burst. A burst pipe is a major plumbing problem that should be dealt with immediately. Take the following steps to deal with a frozen burst pipe:

Turn Off the Water

As soon as you realize that you have a pipe that has frozen and then burst, it is important to shut off the water to your house. Since you never know when you may need to shut off your water, it is important to know where your water main valve is located in case of emergency.

Drain Your Pipes

Just because water has frozen in one area of your pipes, it doesn't mean that there is not still water flowing through your plumbing. After turning off your water main, turn on your cold faucets and flush the toilets in your home to drain your plumbing system of water. This may take a little bit of time, so have some patience and let everything flow out until the pipes are empty.

Consider Shutting Off Circuit Breakers

Depending on the location of the burst pipe, you may need to cut off electricity to that area. If the burst pipe is inside your home and in an area with electrical outlets, electronics, or other kinds of electrical wiring, the safest thing to do is turn off the circuit breaker for that section of the house. 

Start Clean Up

In most cases, if you discover a burst pipe immediately, you may only have to deal with a small leak as the frozen water in the pipe begins to thaw. You can usually clean this type of leak up easily. However, if you don't realize that the pipe has burst until it has thawed out, you may need buckets, mops, and numerous towels to clean up. The sooner you clean up, the better if you want to avoid significant damage to your home.

Contact a Plumber

Some people think that they can just patch their burst pipe with some plumber's tape and call it a day. But in the long run, doing so will just lead to more problems down the road. If you have a pipe that has frozen and then burst, it is important to have the proper burst pipe repairs made by an experienced plumber.