Brr, it’s cold outside! You’re staying warm, but what about your water pipes? When it gets this cold, even pipes you think are safe may freeze and burst, spilling hundreds of gallons of water inside your home and causing a big headache.
How To Avoid The Freeze
Wrap, insulate or run heat tape for all pipes in uninsulated spaces.
Make sure heat is turned on, even in unused rooms.
Drain all outside hoses and store inside if possible.
During the cold snap, open your faucets and let water drip. Just a trickle can help stop pipes from freezing.
Signs A Pipe Has Frozen
No water comes out of your faucets.
Just a trickle of water comes out when the faucet is on.
Defrosting a Frozen Pipe
Open the closest faucet to the frozen area.
Start the defrosting process as close to the open faucet as you can.
Use a hair dryer or hot towels to defrost. A hair dryer can be plugged in and directed onto the pipe until it’s unfrozen. To use a hot towel, first cover the pipe with the dry towel, and then pour hot water over the pipe until it un-freezes.
Gradually work your way back from the faucet until everything is defrosted and water flows freely again.
Do not use a propane torch. Propane torches can damage your pipes and cause a fire hazard if not used properly. Leave this technique to the professionals.
Dealing With The Damage
When a pipe remains frozen for too long, it will burst. But just because the pipe was frozen doesn’t necessarily stop it from leaking after it bursts.
The damage from a burst pipe is often hidden behind walls or under floorboards, and fast action is essential to keep mold from growing.
Stay safe, stay warm, and watch out for frozen pipes!
--Content used in this post was originally published by Mammoth Restoration & Construction and is used with their permission.