Cold Weather Frozen Water Pipes

DETROIT - Feb. 17, 2015 - PRLog -- Preventing a frozen water pipe is inexpensive and easy to do. During periods of extreme exterior cold, allow a small trickle of water to flow through the pipes, reducing the chances of freezing. Ask your local hardware store professional about pipe sponge, which wraps around the problem areas to keep them warm. Check your garage, crawlspace and exterior walls for spots where cold air may be leaking into your home. Install covers on your exterior garden faucets to protect the pipes.

If you have a frozen water pipe, make sure it has no leaks or cracks in it. As water freezes, it expands and this can cause your pipe to crack. If your pipe has cracked be sure to turn off the water supply feeding the line, to prevent water from leaking and causing damage should the line spontaneously thaw. That section of pipe will need to be replaced, consider calling a professional plumber.

If no cracks are found, be sure you know where the valve that controls water to that line is located. This way if water begins leaking later, you will know where your valve is to prevent damage to your home. Open the sink faucet after the freeze area. If you get a trickle of water, let it run as this may clear the pipe. If no water is trickling then you will need to thaw the line.

There are several methods that you can use to thaw a frozen water pipe AFTER you have located the shut-off valve for the frozen line or at a minimum the main water shutoff for the house.  Just in case the line had ruptured and starts to leak after unthawing.
   1) Soak a bath towel in hot water, squeeze out excess water and then wrap the warm towel over the pipe. You may need to repeat this several times.
   2) If the warm towel does not provide enough heat to thaw the pipe, try using a hair dryer. Point the blowing warm air toward the frozen area of the pipe. Apply the heat at the section of the pipe that is nearest to the faucet and work your way forward from that point.
   3) If you have easy access you can wrap the frozen section of the pipe in heating tape (available at your local hardware store). Just plug it in to apply warmth to the line.
   4) If the simple solutions do not solve the problem or you cannot access the frozen portion of the line please contact us.   We have line thawing equipment on our trucks available 24/7 365 days a year.

About the Author
My name is Dennis Graham and I am a Master Plumber and partner of All About Plumbing, Inc. serving south east Michigan (1-248-542-7850). We provide all kinds of plumbing services, including fast response to emergencies. Visit my home page for more plumbing related tips and tricks (http://allaboutplumbing.org).