Roswell Plumbing Blog
Frozen Pipes in a North Fulton Cold Snap: What the December 2022 Freeze Taught Roswell
Roswell fire crews logged over 100 burst pipe calls in one day in December 2022. Where local pipes freeze first and how to prepare for the next one.
Christmas Eve 2022
The Day Roswell Fire Crews Ran Out of Hours
Georgia winters are usually mild, which is exactly why the holiday freeze of December 2022 hit so hard. Temperatures stayed far below freezing for days across metro Atlanta. On December 24, Atlanta News First reported that fire departments in Roswell were overwhelmed with burst pipe calls, logging more than 100 in a single day.
Across the metro, the pattern repeated. The AJC described pipes bursting in apartments and businesses, with water pouring into places as prominent as Lenox Square and Hartsfield-Jackson airport. Homes and businesses in Fulton and several neighboring counties reported little or no water pressure because of frozen valves and broken lines, and officials asked people to keep faucets dripping while conserving water.
The freeze was not a freak of plumbing. It exposed pipes that were never protected because they rarely needed to be.
Weak Spots
Where Roswell Pipes Freeze First
The same locations show up after every hard freeze in North Fulton.
| Location | Why it freezes | Protection |
|---|---|---|
| Crawl spaces near foundation vents | Cold air blows directly across the pipe | Insulate pipe, close or cover vents in a freeze |
| Exterior walls, especially kitchens and baths | Little insulation between pipe and outside | Open cabinet doors, drip faucets |
| Attics | Unheated space, often in townhomes and newer houses | Insulate, keep attic lines above the insulation layer where possible |
| Garages | Unheated, with water heater and laundry lines | Keep the garage door closed, insulate exposed lines |
| Hose bibs | Water trapped in the valve and the pipe behind it | Disconnect hoses, install frost-free sillcocks |
Crawl spaces are the biggest single risk in older Roswell homes built on sloped lots. The crawl space plumbing page covers insulation and freeze protection under the floor.
What to Do Before the Next Hard Freeze
Most of this takes an afternoon and costs little.
- Find and test the main shutoff. Make sure everyone in the house knows where it is and that it turns.
- Insulate exposed pipe. Foam sleeves on crawl space, garage and attic lines, especially near vents.
- Disconnect garden hoses. A hose left attached traps water in the spigot.
- Plan for the night. Drip vulnerable faucets, open sink cabinets and keep the thermostat steady.
- Traveling? Keep the heat on. Many insurers expect heat to be maintained, and a shutoff or a trusted neighbor checking in helps.
If a pipe bursts anyway, close the main first, then call.
When a Pipe Does Burst
A split pipe inside a wall or ceiling releases water at full household pressure until the main is closed. Shut it off, turn off the water heater's gas or power if hot water is involved, keep clear of wet electrical, and open a low faucet to drain the lines. Then photograph everything for insurance.
Our burst pipe repair page walks through the repair itself, including the pressure check that should follow, since a failed pressure regulator can make the next freeze worse.
Homes across the river in East Cobb were hit by the same freeze, and their crawl spaces and exterior-wall kitchens show the same weak spots.
Lessons
What the 2022 Freeze Taught North Fulton
First, mild climates breed unprotected pipes. Second, the damage often shows up on the thaw, not the freeze. Third, when hundreds of pipes burst at once, response times stretch, so homeowners who can shut off their own water and limit the damage are far better off.
The cheapest protection is preparation done in October, not panic in December.
Shared Walls
Townhomes, Condos and Fire Sprinklers
Much of the December 2022 damage in metro Atlanta was in multifamily buildings. Georgia Public Broadcasting described frozen sprinkler lines and pipes bursting in apartment and condo buildings across the region, flooding hallways and units, often with fire alarms sounding. When one unit's pipe bursts in a shared building, water travels through ceilings and walls into neighbors' homes.
If you live in a townhome along Holcomb Bridge Road or a condo building, know where your unit's shutoff is and whether your association controls a building main. Ask whether any sprinkler lines run through unheated spaces near your unit. And during a freeze, keep your own heat on even if you are away, because your pipes may protect a neighbor's ceiling too.
Insurance
Insurance After a Freeze
Most homeowners policies cover sudden water damage from a burst pipe, but many include conditions about maintaining heat in the building, especially when it is vacant. Read your policy before winter, not after. If a pipe does burst, document the damage, keep the plumber's invoice showing the cause, and report the claim promptly. Drying and cleanup are usually handled as a separate part of the claim from the pipe repair itself.
If It Already Happened
The First Hour After a Frozen Pipe Splits
Close the main shutoff before the ice melts if you suspect a split, because the flood usually starts at thaw, not at freeze. If water is already running, close the main, turn off the water heater's gas or breaker, and open the lowest faucet in the house to drain what remains in the lines.
Then photograph the damage and the split pipe before cleanup, since insurers typically cover sudden water damage from a burst pipe more readily than the pipe itself. The repair is a plumbing job, covered on our burst pipe repair page. If drywall, insulation or flooring got soaked, drying is a separate service, and starting it within the first day or two limits how much material has to come out.
When the pipe is replaced, it should also be protected. The IPC, which Georgia's state minimum plumbing code is based on, requires water pipes in spaces subject to freezing to be protected, which in practice means insulation and sealed air gaps around crawl space and exterior-wall runs.
Questions
Frozen Pipe Questions
For faucets on exterior walls or fed by pipes through unheated spaces, a slow drip keeps water moving and relieves pressure if ice forms. During the December 2022 freeze, metro officials asked residents to keep faucets dripping while also conserving water where pressure was low.
Open the faucet it feeds, then warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer, a space heater kept at a safe distance or warm towels, working from the faucet back toward the frozen section. Never use an open flame. If you cannot find or reach the frozen section, call a plumber.
The ice holds the split closed. When it melts, water flows through the crack at full pressure. That is why many burst pipes are discovered the day after a cold snap rather than during it.
Sources for This Page
Roswell burst-pipe call volume comes from Atlanta News First's December 24, 2022 coverage. Metro-wide impacts and low-pressure reports come from Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Atlanta News First coverage from December 24 to 27, 2022.
Written by the Roswell 24/7 Plumbing team and checked against the sources above. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.