They feel similar at the tap — little or no water — but they are two different problems with two different levels of urgency. A frozen pipe is blocked but may still be intact. A burst pipe is split, and water is escaping somewhere, even if you cannot see where.
No water, or only a trickle, from one faucet during a cold snap, while the others run fine, is the classic sign: the freeze is in the branch line serving that fixture. Frost on an exposed pipe in the basement or crawlspace points the same way. A frozen pipe is a warning, not yet a disaster — but treat it as urgent.
Water flowing or pooling where it should not be, a hissing or knocking sound inside a wall, a stain spreading across drywall, paint bubbling, or a sudden drop in pressure all say the pipe wall has given out. Act first and confirm later: find the main shutoff and close it.
Water expands as it freezes. Trapped between the ice blockage and a closed faucet, pressure spikes until the pipe splits — usually downstream of the ice, not at it. That is why the leak can surprise you in a different room from the frozen section, and why a pipe that survived the night can flood a ceiling by afternoon as it thaws.
For a visible pipe that is frozen but not burst, gentle heat — a hair dryer, warm towels — is reasonable. Never use an open flame. If you see bulging, cracking, or any water where it should not be, stop and call. Thawing a pipe that has already split just releases the water faster.
Not sure which one you have? Brighton Burst Pipe is a referral service — we connect you with an independent local provider who can tell you whether it can wait. The call costs you nothing; you pay the provider, not us.
Or read the full guide at brightonburstpipe.com.
A companion page for BrightonBurstPipe.com, a referral service for Brighton and nearby areas in Adams & Weld County — not a plumbing company.