Use your bare hand to find the coldest point on the pipe, which is usually where the ice is. Keep heat moving in the general area, but do not concentrate heat on one spot. During times of prolonged cold weather, a water main also can break. Signs of a broken main are buckled pavement and water running down the street. Unlike residential plumbing, water mains do not break because they are frozen.
Breaks occur when cold water flows through buried warm pipes.
The difference in temperature between the main and the cold water often causes a main to rupture. Water main breaks are more likely to occur in the central and western sections of the city that are served by the Holly Water Treatment Plant. The plant draws water from Lake Worth, which is shallow and changes temperature rapidly. When air temperatures remain below freezing long enough to chill the water supply, it is likely that water mains will break. The more rapidly the water temperature drops, the more likely the main breaks will be triggered.