Seeking Pro Tips: Battling Annual Pipe Freezing in Chicago

David Tang · 2026-01-24T21:04:02-08:00

Recently purchased a two-flat with a garden unit in Chicago back in 2023. Key renovations included running new water lines & HVAC for in-unit washer/dryer for the 1st and 2nd floor's enclosed back porch. The water lines & water disposal lines goes out the basement's laundry room through the basement back porch (that is not insulated nor heated), then up to the 1st & 2nd floor to feed the washer/dryer units.The Challenge:Due to Chicago's recent extreme winter conditions, this has caused the water line/water disposal line for the 1st & 2nd floor washer/dryer to freeze annually. First two winters, it was the copper water pipes that froze which caused the washer to not work as no water goes able to be fed into the washing machine. We addressed this by opening up the 1st & 2nd floor dry wall to add a bit more insulation between the wall & the pipes, we added a heat strip with a sensor to tell it when to turn on, & added insulation around the pipes itself. We also insulated & installed heat strips with a sensor to the originally exposed copper pipes in the basement's back porch area. This winter, new issues with the washer's water disposal pipe freezing came up which caused the water to back up into the 1st floor's laundry room & seeped down to the basement back porch area. Long-Term Objective:Our goal is to achieve passive investment, but this annual maintenance is a barrier.Seeking Suggestions:Experienced Chicagoland investors - what are your recommended solutions for permanently preventing the water disposal line freezing & potentially new issues from rising in these unforgiving winters?

Kenneth GarrettPro Member

Investor · Florida Panhandle/Illinois · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes

9mo

@David Tang

Extremely cold winters are a problem with freezing water lines. Do not run water lines in any unheated space. In moderate winters it will be fine, but extreme winters is a problem. Try to avoid water lines on exterior walls. That is not always possible, but then make sure they are properly insulated. I’ve seen owners run a duct run in unheated spaces to keep it warm enough to avoid freezing. It’s not very efficient, but it works most of the time if the area is not open to the weather. Same as crawl spaces, you’ve got to insulate the heck out of it and be careful of open crawl space vents.

You have tried the basic steps that make sense.

The best solution is re-route the water lines through a heated space.

The same issue exists with houses that have sprinkler protection in them and the lines are in unheated attics. Even the best method of insulating them in a box of insulation will still find a problem from time to time. Any area not 100% sealed will let the cold air in and cause problems.

0 Reply

Aaron ZimmermanBusiness Member

Accountant · Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes

9mo

Commenting for reach. I'm sure many Chicago investors have dealt with this exact challenge.

[email protected]

Brick House CPAs53 Reviews

Website View Page

0 Reply

Allan C.

Rental Property Investor · Member since 2018 · 828 posts · 810 votes

9mo

You have two separate issues going on. Freezing in the water supply line and freezing in the drain line.

Did you have any freezing issues in the water supply line this year? If not, then I think you resolved the bigger issue with the heat tracing and insulation.

as for the frozen discharge line this year, can you confirm that the freezing occurred in the p-trap of the line? You can simply open the wall and put heat tracing on the p-trap like you did for the water supply. Alternatively, you can pressurize the drain line ahead of cold snaps to clear out the trap. Of course the trap will fill when they use the washer again, so the solution will depend on your cost and effort tolerance.

0 Reply

David Tang
OP
Member since 2022 · 5 posts · 3 votes
9mo
Quote from @Allan C.:

You have two separate issues going on. Freezing in the water supply line and freezing in the drain line.

Did you have any freezing issues in the water supply line this year? If not, then I think you resolved the bigger issue with the heat tracing and insulation.

as for the frozen discharge line this year, can you confirm that the freezing occurred in the p-trap of the line? You can simply open the wall and put heat tracing on the p-trap like you did for the water supply. Alternatively, you can pressurize the drain line ahead of cold snaps to clear out the trap. Of course the trap will fill when they use the washer again, so the solution will depend on your cost and effort tolerance.

Thankfully, the 1st issue with the water supply line did not re-occur ever since we installed the heat strips. For the water discharge freezing, yes, it froze at the p-trap. I am ideally trying to figure out options we have to resolve this issue so that it does not require effort every year. Some options we are considering are:
- Building up another layer of dry wall with insulation (plus insulate all 4 walls in the back porch when the tenant moves out)
- Insulate/partially finish the basement back porch area plus install a baseboard/wall heater.
- open up the dry wall again and rewrap the heat strip we installed to wrap the pvc pipe as well (specifically around the p-trap)
0 Reply
Allan C.
Rental Property Investor · Member since 2018 · 828 posts · 810 votes
9mo
@David Tang seems like heat tracing the p-trap is the simplest and cheapest alternative. Opening and re-patching drywall is relatively cheap.

You can also insulate the area around the p-trap, but that alone won't solve your issue. I also don't see the cost benefit of insulting the porch area since cost will likely be high to get the desired outcome. It will certainly help, but it's about cost/benefit.
0 Reply

Eudith VacioPro Member

Real Estate Agent · Chicago & NWI · Member since 2015 · 860 posts · 521 votes

9mo

Hey @David Tang

Yeah, this is a common issue for all of us! You have to find a way to keep that area heated - I've added electric baseboard heaters to my smaller spaces where running ducts might be more difficult. That, or you have to run space heaters / add ducts!

The electric baseboards are easy because you can just run a line to panel without really having to break anything.

1 Reply

David Tang
OP
Member since 2022 · 5 posts · 3 votes
9mo
Quote from @Eudith Vacio:

Hey @David Tang
Yeah, this is a common issue for all of us! You have to find a way to keep that area heated - I've added electric baseboard heaters to my smaller spaces where running ducts might be more difficult. That, or you have to run space heaters / add ducts!
The electric baseboards are easy because you can just run a line to panel without really having to break anything.

Do you also fully insulate that room too?
0 Reply

Eudith VacioPro Member

Real Estate Agent · Chicago & NWI · Member since 2015 · 860 posts · 521 votes

9mo

@David Tang it's drywall? i'm surprised it wasn't insulated before they installed the drywall, usually you see no insulation with plaster walls, but yeah you can insulate professionally with foam so you don't have to tear everything down again

0 Reply

Jonathan KlemmBusiness Member

Moderator

Contractor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes

9mo

Hey there @David Tang - The easy answer to make sure pipes arent on exterior walls and if they are in a basement ensure that basement has adequate heat.

Where exactly are you pipes running in the property and freezing? If they are on an exterior wall then typically we need to build a false wall to have another layer of insulation.

Chicago winters are brutal and this one is no different. In one of my 2-unit buildings, I installed a gas wall heater because the previous two winters, I also had my pipes freeze.

[email protected]

Quality Builders4.968 Reviews

Website View Page

1 Reply

David Tang
OP
Member since 2022 · 5 posts · 3 votes
9mo
Quote from @Jonathan Klemm:

Hey there @David Tang - The easy answer to make sure pipes arent on exterior walls and if they are in a basement ensure that basement has adequate heat.

Where exactly are you pipes running in the property and freezing? If they are on an exterior wall then typically we need to build a false wall to have another layer of insulation.
Chicago winters are brutal and this one is no different. In one of my 2-unit buildings, I installed a gas wall heater because the previous two winters, I also had my pipes freeze.

Yeah, it is on the exterior wall. We put some insulation, but not doing a full false wall with insulation then a secondary wall with extra insulation for the pipes. We just installed heating strips with a sensor that turns on once it gets too cold. We are considering that we just open up the dry wall and re-wire the heat strips so that it wraps around the P-Trap as well.
1 Reply

Jonathan KlemmBusiness Member

Moderator

Contractor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes

9mo

That makes sense @David Tang! Heat tap works pretty well....

The P-trap is a very very easy thing to forget can be an issue. I learned that the hard way myself. One thing you can do if the building is vacant or you're in the middle of a renovation is put antifreeze in the P-trap.

Frozen pipes....one of many cons of living and working here in Chicago - there's a lot of pros too though!

[email protected]

Quality Builders4.968 Reviews

Website View Page

0 Reply

Seeking Pro Tips: Battling Annual Pipe Freezing in Chicago

Seeking Pro Tips: Battling Annual Pipe Freezing in Chicago

Investor-friendly agents in Chicago, IL

Most Popular Reply

11 Replies