A TikTok creator who left her faucet running during a brutal winter freeze in the hopes of protecting her pipes woke up to a baffling sight instead: a solid column of ice streaming straight from her kitchen tap.
As temperatures drop below zero, many homeowners follow the conventional wisdom to leave water running to avoid frozen pipes. TikTok creator @peachie.peach21 followed the advice only to find that the water froze despite the running faucet.
The precaution’s unusual outcome got attention on social media and accumulated nearly 16 million views.
The predicament surprised other TikTok users who leave faucets running during winter freezes, leaving many to wonder if they’re doing the right thing to protect their pipes from damage during cold weather.
The creator shared the clip on Jan. 23, 2026, writing in the caption, “I thought we kept water dripping so it wouldn’t freeze??? Can someone tell me WTH going on???”
Why running water can still freeze
Dripping faucets keep water moving, making it hard for pipes to freeze. A steady drip will also relieve pressure that can cause bursts, just in case a section of pipe does freeze.
The fact that @peachie.peach21’s dripping faucet froze is uncommon, but it can happen if the stream isn’t strong enough, or if both hot and cold water aren’t flowing.
Another factor to consider is the faucet’s distance from the home’s water heater.
The frozen column of water in @peachie.peach21’s sink surprised commenters.
“Well damn.. That trick usually does it,” replied one commenter.
Others shared advice, or got into the finer points of opening water taps as a winter precaution.
“My landlord always tells us to open cupboards under thr sinks too. Heater blasting on 70 something lol 👀 I see why now cuz that's crazy 😂,” wrote @apostatehobo.
"So yeah that only works if you have heat," replied another helpful commenter. "If it gets below like 40 inside your house you’re supposed to turn the water main off so this doesn’t happen."
Many pointed out that the TikTok creator’s house might just be too cold.
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