Frozen Pipes Are the #1 Plumbing Emergency in Big Bear

Every winter, we get a wave of frozen pipe calls — some from full-time residents who got caught off guard by an early cold snap, but most from vacation cabin owners who left the mountain without winterizing. A single burst pipe in an unoccupied home can cause $5,000 to $50,000 in water damage before anyone notices.

Here’s what actually works to prevent frozen pipes at Big Bear elevation. No generic advice — this is what we tell our own customers.

The Non-Negotiables

1. Insulate Exposed Pipes

Every pipe in a crawl space, garage, exterior wall, or attic should be wrapped in foam pipe insulation. A $3 tube of foam insulation can prevent a $2,000 repair.

Pay special attention to:

  • Crawl space pipes — especially if your cabin has a raised foundation
  • Pipes on exterior walls — kitchen and bathroom supply lines that run through outside walls
  • Garage pipes — if your water heater is in an unheated garage, insulate the supply and return lines
  • Hose bibs — insulated covers cost $5 at any hardware store

2. Keep the Heat On

This is the one that trips up vacation homeowners. When you leave your cabin for the winter:

  • Set the thermostat to 55 degrees minimum. Not 50. Not 45. At Big Bear elevation, 55 is the floor for preventing pipe freezes in insulated homes.
  • Never turn the heat completely off in an occupied or furnished home during freezing months.

Yes, it costs money to heat an empty cabin. It costs a lot more to repair a flooded one.

3. Winterize If You’re Leaving for the Season

If the cabin will sit empty from November through March, keeping the heat on isn’t enough if the power goes out during a storm. The only guaranteed prevention for unoccupied homes is full winterization — draining all water lines, blowing out the system with compressed air, and adding antifreeze to every trap.

We charge $275 for standard cabin winterization and $175 for spring dewinterization. That’s $450 total for absolute peace of mind through the entire winter.

During a Cold Snap

When temperatures drop below 20 degrees (which happens regularly from December through February):

  • Open cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks to let warm air circulate around pipes
  • Let faucets drip — a pencil-thin stream from the farthest faucet from your water source keeps water moving through the pipes
  • Disconnect garden hoses and shut off exterior hose bibs
  • Check your crawl space vents — close them for the winter to keep cold air out

What If Your Pipes Are Already Frozen

If you turn on a faucet and get nothing, or just a trickle:

  1. Don’t panic, but act fast. A frozen pipe that hasn’t burst is a ticking clock.
  2. Keep the faucet open so water can flow once the ice starts melting.
  3. Never use a torch or open flame to thaw pipes. This causes more bursts than the freeze itself.
  4. Call us. We have professional thawing equipment that safely restores flow without the risk of a burst.

If you see water spraying or pooling — the pipe has already burst. Shut off your main water supply immediately and call us at (909) 555-0147. We dispatch 24/7.