Do You Really Need to Drip Your Faucet During Michigan’s Extreme Cold?

When temperatures drop like this, the questions start rolling in. And one of the most common ones I keep hearing right now is about pipes.

West Michigan is dealing with historically cold weather. Grand Rapids dipped to around minus 6 degrees this morning, and forecasters say we could see lows near minus 11 tonight (January 23rd) into early Saturday. That kind of cold makes people nervous, especially homeowners who have been told for years to “just drip the faucet.”

So let’s talk about whether that actually applies to you.

The advice to drip faucets exists for a reason. It is meant to prevent pipes from freezing by keeping water moving, which relieves pressure if ice starts to form. Frozen pipes do not usually burst because of the ice itself. They burst because pressure builds between the ice blockage and a closed faucet.

The short answer is this. If you are in a warm, well-insulated home and you have power and heat, you usually do not need to drip your faucets. But, that risk goes up in certain situations.

If your home loses power and your heat goes out, dripping faucets becomes a good idea. The same is true if you live in an older home with poor insulation, have plumbing in exterior walls, crawl spaces, basements, or unheated areas, or if you have pipes that have frozen in the past. Those are the homes that benefit most from dripping water during extreme cold.

But if your house is well insulated, your furnace is working, and indoor temperatures are being maintained, your pipes are already being protected by the heat inside your walls. In that case, dripping faucets is usually unnecessary and can waste a surprising amount of water over time.

There are still a few smart precautions everyone can take:

Open cabinet doors under sinks along exterior walls to let warm air circulate. Make sure your garage door is closed, especially if you have plumbing nearby. Set your thermostat to a consistent temperature and avoid lowering it overnight during this cold snap.

And if you do lose power or heat, that is when dripping faucets becomes important. A slow, steady drip from the cold water side is enough. It does not need to be a stream.

Extreme cold like this is stressful enough without second-guessing every decision. For most people in warm, well-maintained homes, the best protection is simply keeping the heat on and letting your house do what it was built to do. And if you are unsure about your specific setup, it is always better to be cautious than to deal with a burst pipe later.