The snap came. The pipe didn’t make it.

When the Gorge wind turns, pipes pay

Salem’s winters are mild until they aren’t — a polar snap pours out of the Columbia River Gorge, temperatures drop twenty degrees overnight, and pipes in exterior walls, crawlspaces, and garage ceilings freeze solid. The burst usually announces itself at thaw: a split line that was silently frozen all night becomes a fountain the moment the ice lets go. The two moves that matter: close the main shutoff first (usually at the meter box or where the line enters the house — if you don’t know where yours is, find it tonight, not during the flood), then call.

Repair and dry-out in one visit

The crew finds the split — often more than one, since a freeze stresses every weak point on the run — cuts out the failed section, and repairs it with material rated for the valley’s freeze-thaw cycle. Then the other half of the job starts: the water that escaped is already in the wall or ceiling, so extraction and measured drying run from the same visit, not a second appointment next week. You approve one written scope that covers both.

If the pipe froze but hasn’t burst, say so on the call — gentle thawing and a pressure check now beats extraction later, and the dispatcher will walk you through what’s safe to try while the truck rolls.