Freezing pipes are a big downer. Despite that, they’re often an unavoidable part of life. Frozen pipes can lead to a number of issues. Examples of these are burst pipes, persistent water leaks, mold growth, spikes in utility bill costs and even unsightly water damage. If you’re wondering what to do when your pipes freeze, however, there are various answers to that significant question.
What Should You Do If Your Pipes Are Frozen?
What happens when pipes freeze, anyway? If temperatures fall below freezing levels, pipes may freeze. Pipes that have to deal with these kinds of severe temperatures for extended stretches of time may freeze, too. Water that freezes experiences volume boosts of roughly 9 percent. If this volume change takes place inside of a confined pipe, ice takes the place of the water. This raises the pressure dramatically. If the situation lingers for a substantial period of time, pipe bursting may occur.
It can be stressful to realize that water just isn’t coming out of your faucets. If this happens in below freezing temperatures, frozen pipes may be the culprit. If you want to thaw your pipes and keep potential bursting at bay, you should respond to a frozen pipe crisis without any delays.
Turn off your water before doing anything else. Locate your main water supply valve. Don’t panic if you have no clue where it is. Simply reach out to the emergency phone number that’s associated with your utility provider.
Search for the frozen pipe. Frozen pipes typically are in exterior walls, attics, crawlspaces and basements. They’re often right below sinks, too. You’ll probably observe some frost on the pipe’s exterior.
Proceed to open up the faucets that are linked to the offending pipe. Doing so will minimize the pressure on parts of the pipe that aren’t frozen.
Search for potential leaks. Do you fear that you have a burst or cracked pipe on your hands? If you do, reach out to a professional plumber for emergency assistance.
Try to thaw the problematic pipe. If you’ve identified it and can easily reach it, you may try to thaw it using a space heater or hair dryer. Steer clear of open flame use.
While people occasionally are able to thaw frozen pipes on their own, the job isn’t always possible. If you’re not able to thaw a frozen pipe, you should request prompt service from a qualified and seasoned professional plumber. If you ever question what to do after your pipes freeze, seeking professional assistance may be the right solution. Can a plumber unfreeze pipes? Yes.
The cost to unfreeze pipes understandably varies. If you call a plumber for frozen pipe repair, you may have to pay approximately $200.
All About Keeping Frozen Pipes at Bay
The only thing better than thawing freezing pipes is stopping them from rearing their ugly heads in the first place. If you want to prevent pipe freezing and potentially spare yourself a lot of stress, these suggestions may prove highly effective. They may make brutal winters feel a lot less intimidating, too.
Try pipe insulation. Pipe insulation doesn’t cost a lot of money. It’s pretty simple to find and buy at most home improvement stores as well. Think about insulating pipes that are situated in sections of your home that aren’t heated. Examples may include your garage, crawlspace, basement or attic. Pipes that are below bathroom sink plumbing and kitchen sinks are also susceptible to freezing in times of chilly temperatures. Put foam insulation on as a means of establishing a cold temperature cushion of sorts. You can also use heat tape to wrap pipes. This tape can promote warmth that can often stop freezing in its tracks.
Disconnect your garden hoses. Once you complete your seasonal yard maintenance duties, you should disconnect your hoses, drain them and place them in storage. Shut the shut-off valves that accommodate outdoor hose bibs. Open your exterior faucet for line draining purposes, too. Allow it to remain open all winter long to permit space for water lingering in the pipe. You want to make it possible for this lingering water to expand.
Close up air leaks. Assess your living space for possible holes or cracks that may enable cold air to get inside. Seal holes that surround pipes in both exterior and interior walls. Seal holes that surround the sill plates as well. Don’t forget that keeping a garage door open is comparable to establishing an enormous air leak. That’s the reason you should make a point to shut the door any time it’s not in use.
Allow faucets to drip. The tiniest amount of water has the ability to stop the development of ice in pipes. After the weather becomes extremely cold, you should initiate little water drips from any of your faucets that rely on pipes that are exposed. Allowing a handful of pipes to run just a bit may minimize pressure in pipes, too. It may stop unpleasant rupturing from developing as well.
Maintain a steady and dependable temperature. Put your thermostat on a setting that is steady and reliable at all times. When the weather is intensely cold, a dependable temperature is a big part of protecting pipes from ice. If you’re planning on going out of town during the cold winter season at any point, you should see to it that your thermostat is on a setting of a minimum of 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Open the doors to your cabinet. Opening these doors gives heat the ability to travel to pipes that aren’t insulated below sinks. It gives heat the ability to travel to insulated pipes that are below household appliances close to exterior walls as well.
Contact the Emergency Plumbing Squad Team for Information and to Schedule Service
Are you in need of five-star professional assistance with frozen pipes? Reach out to the knowledgeable, hard-working and dedicated Emergency Plumbing Squad staff without any hesitation to schedule an appointment for service.