Millions of families across the country have a catastrophe somewhere in their homes due to frozen pipes. Their lives are disrupted every winter with flooded rooms and high cost repair bills. However, if a pipe freezes and the response is swift it is possible to thaw the pipe before it bursts. Pipes normally freeze when they are adjoining outside walls. The most vulnerable to freezing are those running through unheated quarters, and once the water is frozen, the water flow will be cut off, leading to split pipes due to ice expansion.
The first piece of evidence that your pipe is frozen is when you awake in the morning after a very cold night and turn on your tap. If there is no surge of water and only a trickle flows down and abruptly stops; you have a frozen pipe. So thawing the pipe will be necessary. Here is advice on what to do with frozen pipes.
. First, locate where the pipe is frozen, then switch off the key water supply. This move will avert the water from spurting out once the pipe is thawed. Afterwards, open the taps in the house.
. If water is not flowing anywhere inside the home, a pipe close to the water meter is probably frozen. Place your hand on the meter and the nearby exposed pipes. If the pipes are extremely cold, that is a sign that they are probably frozen.
. If water flows in just one part of the home, a pipe in an exterior wall or un-padded crawl space is most likely the culprit. Try opening bathroom and kitchen sink cabinets to permit warm air from the home to heat-up the pipes.
. After locating the frozen pipe, open the distressed faucet completely while opening other hot water faucets as well. When the water begins to stream from the distressed pipe, secure all faucets to a dribble. Do not attempt to completely shut the distressed faucet pending the total defrosting of the pipe and after water is flowing freely.
Other workable methods and one of the safest thawing techniques involves a moderate heat source hair dryer, household iron, or heat lamp. Propane torches or other open direct flames will heat the pipes too fast, possibly causing an explosion. Some people may suggest putting rags into boiling water and wrapping them around the frozen pipe. A professional plumber would never recommend such a technique since obviously it would be quite messy with an unpredictable outcome.
When thawing pipes with a hair dryer or heat lamp at all times work from an open faucet toward the frozen part. This will permit steam to be released and from being trapped by ice, which can result in a burst pipe. With the faucet open, it is easy to see when the ice has dissolved. A great way to prevent pipes from freezing in the first place is to wrap them in electrical heating cable, afterwards covering the pipe with insulation to preserve heat. A heating cable can be utilized to thaw a frozen pipe as well.