Frozen Pipes 101: What Black Hills Renters Should Do Before (and During) a Cold Snap

In nine out of ten years, Rapid City has its first 28°F night by October 25 and its first 24°F night by November 8, according to the National Weather Service. That's pipe-splitting cold, and the habits that prevent a frozen pipe are simple enough for any renter to start this week.

We manage rentals, so we see the other side of this: the late-night call, the soaked carpet, the family packing a bag for a hotel in January. This post is for anyone renting a house or apartment in the Black Hills or anywhere else that gets real winter. We shared a short cold-weather list in Please Put In the Maintenance Request. This one goes deeper: where pipes freeze, how to set the heat, what to do before you travel, what to do if a pipe freezes or bursts, and who usually pays.

Where Pipes Actually Freeze

Water expands as it freezes, and that pressure can split metal or plastic pipe. According to the American Red Cross, the pipes that freeze most often are:

Pipes exposed to severe cold, like outdoor hose spigots and sprinkler lines.

Supply lines in unheated spaces, like basements, crawl spaces, attics, garages, and kitchen or bathroom cabinets.

Pipes that run along exterior walls with little or no insulation.

The Red Cross also points to the spot where the water service enters the home through the foundation. If your kitchen sink sits on an outside wall, or your washer hookups are in the garage, those are the places to watch. Every home is different, so notice which rooms run cold in yours.

Take a Five-Minute Walk-Through This Week

Before the first real cold snap, walk your home with fresh eyes. It takes a few minutes and it's the best prevention there is.

Find the main water shutoff. It's often in the basement, a utility room, or near the water heater. If you can't find it, ask your landlord or property manager to show you. In a burst-pipe emergency, the minutes you spend searching are the minutes water spends spreading.

Look under the sinks on outside walls. Those cabinets are where cold air and water lines meet.

Check the hose spigots. If a garden hose is still attached, take it off. A hose left connected can hold water against the spigot and freeze the pipe behind the wall.

Look at the garage. If water lines run through it, plan to keep the big door closed.

Read your lease. Look for anything about heat, utilities, minimum thermostat settings, extended absences, and how to report emergencies. We walk through common lease language in 9 Common Lease Terms Every Renter Should Actually Understand.

Save the emergency number. Put your landlord's or property manager's after-hours number in your phone now, not while you're standing in water.

Set the Heat Like It Matters (Because It Does)

Keep it steady during a cold snap. The Red Cross recommends keeping the thermostat at the same temperature day and night when it's very cold. Skipping the nighttime setback can add a little to the heating bill, but it's far cheaper than a burst pipe.

Never turn the heat off to save money. Not overnight, not for a weekend, not while you're at work.

Check any programmable or smart thermostat. "Away" and "eco" modes are useful until they let the home drift too low during a cold snap. Make sure no schedule drops the temperature below a safe level.

Check the thermostat batteries. Many thermostats run on batteries, and a dead one can mean no heat. Swap them before a trip, not after.

Space heaters are not a plan. If the furnace isn't keeping up, report it to your landlord today. A struggling furnace in October is a scheduled repair. In January it's an emergency.

Before You Travel

A frozen pipe does the most damage when nobody is home to notice, so travel deserves its own checklist. Before you leave:

Leave the heat on, never below 55°F. That's the Red Cross minimum for a home left empty in cold weather. If your lease sets a higher minimum, follow the lease.

Open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls. That lets warm air reach the pipes. Move cleaners and chemicals up out of reach of kids and pets first.

Close the garage door if water lines run through the garage.

Make sure the heat stays paid for. If the gas or electric bill is in your name, a shutoff while you're away can freeze a home fast.

Tell your landlord or property manager you'll be gone, especially for more than a few days. Some leases require notice of an extended absence. Even when yours doesn't, it's worth a quick message.

Line up someone who can check on the home while you're away, and let your landlord know who it is.

Ask before shutting off the water. If you want to turn off the main water while you're gone, check with your landlord first. In some homes it can affect a boiler or other equipment.

During a Cold Snap

Let a faucet drip. When it's bitterly cold, the Red Cross recommends letting cold water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes. Even a trickle helps keep water moving.

Keep those cabinet doors open overnight.

Check the faucets in the morning. If a faucet that usually runs strong only trickles, suspect a frozen pipe. The Red Cross notes that if one pipe freezes, others may too, so check the rest of the home.

If You Think a Pipe Is Frozen

Call your landlord or property manager right away. A frozen pipe isn't a "submit it and wait" request. It's a call-now problem, even after hours.

Keep the faucet open. As the ice starts to melt, flowing water helps clear the rest of it.

Never use an open flame. The Red Cross specifically warns against using a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or any other open-flame device. A torch on a pipe can start a fire inside a wall.

Only use gentle heat if you're told to. The Red Cross lists an electric heating pad, a hair dryer, a space heater kept away from anything flammable, or towels soaked in hot water as safe ways to thaw an accessible pipe. If your landlord says to wait for a plumber, wait.

Don't take anything apart. No wrenches, no cutting into drywall, no "quick fixes." We've written about why we never let tenants attempt their own repairs, and plumbing is where DIY goes wrong fastest.

Stay near the shutoff. A pipe that froze may have cracked. When it thaws, that crack can start spraying.

If a Pipe Bursts

Speed matters more than anything. Here's the order:

1. Shut off the water. Close the main water shutoff, or the valve under the fixture if the leak is right there.

2. Keep water and electricity apart. The CDC says to turn off the main power only if you can reach it from a dry location, and never to turn power on or off while standing in water. If you can't reach it safely, leave it for an electrician.

3. Call your landlord or property manager immediately. Day or night. The sooner they know, the sooner a plumber and a water cleanup crew are on the way.

4. Move your belongings. Get electronics, furniture, and anything valuable out of the water's path.

5. Take photos and video of the damage and your belongings before cleanup starts.

6. Call your renters insurance company. More on that below.

Then let the professionals handle the drying. The CDC's guidance is to dry out wet areas as soon as possible to prevent mold, and walls and floors that look dry on the surface can stay wet inside.

Who Pays When a Pipe Freezes?

It's one of the first questions renters ask, and the honest answer is that it depends on why it happened and where you live.

In South Dakota, SDCL 43-32-8 requires a residential landlord to keep the plumbing and heating systems in good and safe working order, except when the disrepair was caused by the negligent, willful, or malicious conduct of the tenant or someone under the tenant's control. The flip side is SDCL 43-32-10: a tenant has to repair damage caused by their own negligent, willful, or malicious conduct. In plain English, a pipe that freezes because the furnace failed is usually a landlord repair. A pipe that freezes because the heat was turned off for a ski trip may not be.

In Montana, MCA 70-24-303 requires landlords to keep heating and plumbing in good and safe working order and to supply reasonable heat from October 1 to May 1, with some exceptions. MCA 70-24-321 requires tenants to use heating and plumbing in a reasonable manner.

Your stuff is a separate question. According to Triple-I, a landlord's insurance may cover the building, but it won't replace your possessions or pay for a hotel while repairs are made. A renters policy typically covers belongings, liability, and additional living expenses after a covered loss. We explain more in Renters Insurance: Why It's Required, and What It Actually Covers. Check your own policy for what counts as a covered water loss.

State laws vary, and your lease matters too. Nothing here is legal advice. If you're in a dispute, talk to an attorney or your state's consumer resources.

Why This Matters

A burst pipe can soak floors, ruin belongings, and push you out of your home in the coldest weeks of the year. Those disasters usually start small: a thermostat set too low, a cabinet door left shut, a faucet that only trickled and nobody called about it.

The renters who never deal with a frozen pipe aren't just lucky. They keep the heat steady, they know where the shutoff is, they tell the landlord before they travel, and they call the minute something seems off. That's what good tenants do, and it protects your home, your belongings, and your deposit.

Heading out of town this winter?

Leave the heat on, open the cabinets, tell your landlord, and keep that emergency number handy. A phone call costs nothing. A burst pipe costs everyone. Have questions about renting in South Dakota or Montana? Let's talk. Blair Allen Property Management serves owners across South Dakota and Montana.

Chris Twiggs
President, Blair Allen Property Management
📞 605-545-1218
✉️ chris@blairallen.com