Last reviewed and updated: 2026-09-28
The pipes that fail in a Georgia freeze are the exposed ones: crawlspace runs, lines in exterior walls, garage plumbing, hose bibs and anything in an unheated attic. Protect those, keep the house above 55°F, and open cabinet doors on exterior walls. The damage usually shows up during the thaw, not during the freeze.
Why Georgia pipes freeze when colder states' do not
In a cold climate, water lines are routed inside the heated envelope and buried below the frost line as a matter of course. In Marietta a great deal of plumbing sits in places that are fine for 350 days a year and exposed for the other fifteen: open crawlspaces, uninsulated garages, exterior wall cavities, attic runs above a bonus room.
A Georgia freeze does not have to be severe to do damage. It has to be sustained. A few hours below freezing overnight rarely matters. Twenty-four hours or more below freezing, especially with wind, is what reaches the water in an exposed pipe.
The five places that actually fail
| Location | Why it is exposed | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Crawlspace supply lines | Open vents, no heat, wind blowing through | Close vents before the cold, insulate the pipe, never the ground only |
| Exterior wall plumbing | Thin insulation behind the cabinet | Open cabinet doors so room heat reaches the pipe |
| Hose bibs and outdoor taps | Water sits in the last foot of pipe | Disconnect the hose. A connected hose is the single most common cause |
| Garage lines and the water heater | Unheated space, door opening and closing | Keep the garage door shut, insulate exposed runs |
| Attic and bonus-room runs | Above the insulation line, not below it | Insulate, and keep the bonus room heated even when unused |
Disconnect the hose. A hose left attached keeps water in the bib and in the short run of pipe behind it. That pipe is inside the wall. It is the most common freeze failure on Georgia houses and it takes ten seconds to prevent.
Before the cold arrives
- Disconnect every hose and drain it. Fit an insulated cover on the bib.
- Close crawlspace vents and check that insulation on the pipe is intact, not hanging off.
- Find your main shut-off valve now, while it is warm and dry, and check that it actually turns. Discovering it is seized in the middle of an active burst is the worst possible moment.
- Set the heat no lower than 55°F, including if you are away. This is not the night to economise.
- Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls.
Rather talk it through first?
No forms and no waiting for a callback. Speak to a technician, describe what you are seeing, and get a straight answer about what it takes to find it.
During the freeze
Let a cold tap run at a slow trickle from the fixture furthest from where the water enters the house. Moving water is much harder to freeze, and the open tap relieves the pressure that actually splits pipes. It is the pressure between an ice plug and a closed tap that bursts the pipe, not the ice itself.
The damage appears during the thaw
This is the part people are unprepared for. A pipe splits while frozen, but nothing escapes because the ice is still plugging the gap. When the temperature comes back up, the plug melts and the water starts moving, often hours or days after the cold night, and frequently while nobody is home.
If you were away during a hard freeze, check when you get back: the meter with everything off, the crawlspace, the ceiling below any attic run, and the wall behind every outdoor tap. Water actively escaping is an emergency and the main shut-off is the first move.
One exclusion worth knowing. Cobb County Water System explicitly excludes faucets left dripping during freezing weather from its leak adjustment, treating that volume as normal use. Running a trickle to protect pipes is sound advice, but the water it uses is yours to pay for. A genuine burst is a different matter and does qualify, with proof of repair.
What a freeze leaves behind
Not every freeze failure floods. Some produce a hairline split that weeps quietly into a crawlspace or a wall for weeks, showing up first as a climbing bill rather than as visible water. That is a concealed leak, and it is found by moisture mapping and thermal imaging rather than by looking.
Where these figures come from
Everything above is taken from a published source. Rates, policies and conditions change, so check the date on each before relying on it.
- Cobb County Water System, Leak Adjustment: dripping faucets during freezing weather are excluded from the credit.
- General freeze-protection practice as published by Georgia utilities and the National Weather Service.
Frequently asked questions
At what temperature do pipes freeze in Georgia?
Water freezes at 32°F, but an exposed pipe needs sustained cold to reach that point. A brief overnight dip rarely matters. A full day or more below freezing, particularly with wind through an open crawlspace, is what causes failures on Georgia houses.
Should I leave taps dripping during a freeze in Marietta?
A slow trickle from the furthest fixture helps, because moving water is harder to freeze and an open tap relieves the pressure that splits pipes. Be aware that Cobb County excludes water from faucets left dripping in freezing weather from its leak credit, so those gallons are yours.
Why did my pipe burst after the cold weather ended?
Because the ice was plugging the split. The pipe fails while frozen but nothing escapes until the plug melts, which is often a day or two later. That is why burst-pipe damage so often appears during the thaw, and frequently while the house is empty.
Do I need to insulate crawlspace pipes in Marietta?
Yes, and close the vents before a hard freeze. An open crawlspace with wind moving through it is the most exposed plumbing in a typical Marietta house. Insulating the pipe itself matters more than insulating the ground beneath it.