How to Repair Frozen Water Pipes
Exposed pipes to the cold can freeze and stop the supply of water in your home. And the fact that frozen pipes often break makes repairs necessary. These problems more often than not occur at the most ill-timed and may leave you under pressure to look for a plumber- if not of course, you have a skill to make at least arepairs yourself. How does this happen? Okay, Water expands on freezing and can exert pressure at over 2,000 pounds for every square inch which can rapture the pipe if you do not act on quickly. But let this not worry you. Below are the guides for taking care of your frozen pipes. Try them and appreciate me later.
- How to locate a frozen water pipe
- How to repair a frozen burst pipes
- Where to begin the thawing process
- How to thaw exposed pipes
- How to thaw enclosed pipes
- The risks of thawing a frozen pipe
How to Locate a Frozen Water Pipe
To find a frozen blockage is not an easy task. But after seeing the first sign of blockage apply the following steps and you’ll locate it A.S.A.P.
- Shut the water off locally to the faucet or at the water shut off valve of your home.
- Open the faucet supplied by the pipe that’s frozen.
- Identify the pipe that’s frozen and trace the blockage: track the supply pipe to where it passes near exterior walls. Note that, the damage doesn’t often occur where a pipe has frozen, but between the faucets and the freeze.
Check the areas of the pipe which has ice or frost; it might also be slightly fissured or bulged.
How to Repair a Frozen Burst Pipes
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To prevent as much water damage as possible you ought to act fast whenever you identify a ruptured pipe. Make temporary repairs before you get help from a professional plumber to avoid water damage in your home. If possible, connect a leak detector to your home management system to be alerting you of any issues in remote areas of the house. Otherwise for the burst frozen pipes, follow the following steps to repair them.
- If the rapture is near electrical cables or fittings turn the power off to the area.
- Turn the water supply off.
- If the water leaking from the pipe is hot, turn the supply valve coming from the water heater off.
- Use repair tape or pipe repair clamps to make a temporary repair. Also ensure that, you check the instructions for any product you use to repair the pipes to make sure it is appropriate for your pipes.
- Call a professional plumber to change the ruptured pipe.
If your pipe is not yet ruptured, but it’s frozen, you must right away thaw it. To do this, you have to apply different thawing techniques depending on the location of the frozen pipes. However, you should never use an open flame or a blow torch to thaw a pipe. It can cause a serious fire hazard and damage the pipe.
Where to Begin the Thawing Process
Always start the thawing process near the faucet and then towards the blockage. This ensures that, the steam and the melting ice would escape via the open faucet. Starting the thawing process near the blockage can cause the melting ice stuck behind the blockage which can create more pressure on the pipes and increase the chance of bursting of the pipes.
How to Thaw Exposed Pipes
You can have several options of thawing the pipe located to an easy to access area. With these pipes, you just need to apply the heat until the escaping water from the faucet return in full strength. Otherwise follow the four options below for thawing your exposed pipes.
- Hair dryer- Using hair dryer is one of the easiest ways to thaw your pipe. Simply turn on the dryer and direct the heat on the pipe, starting with the closest portion to the faucet. When operating this device take proper precautions and keep away from coming into contact with the water as it is with any other electrical appliance.
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- Portable space heater or Heat lamp- This is another method used for thawing frozen pipes. What you just need to do here is positioning the device to make the heat reach the frozen pipe. The indirect heat helps to thaw the pipe quickly. Again, keep the device you’re using; comply with the precautions and safety measures on the device you are using.
- Hot towels– With this method, you need to wrap the frozen pipes with a towel which has been dipped in hot water. This thaws the blockage slowly.
- Electrical heating tape– Apply directly an electrical heating tape to the pipe. The tape distributes the heat all through the pipe.
The good thing is that, the tapes come in different types. You can buy the heating tape which shuts off on its own or buy the electrical heating one which you can plug in and unplug as you need.
How to Thaw Enclosed Pipes
You’ve three options for thawing your frozen pipes if they’re located in an enclosed area. Pass through them below;
- Turn the heat up in the property– When thawing enclosed frozen pipe, try to increase the temperature in the property. Turning up the thermostat, might be all what’s needed to allow the melting of the ice blockage.
- Infrared lamp– With this method, you place an infrared lamp where the pipe is situated preferably in front of the wall to thaw the blockage. The lamp’s heat penetrates the wall allowing the pipe to defrost.
- Cut out a section of the wall– Cut out the dry wall section in front of the frozen pipe to access the pipe with ease. Then use one of the above mentioned thawing methods for thawing enclosed pipes.
What Are the Risks of Thawing a Frozen Pipe?
When trying to thaw a frozen water pipe, there are two main risks you should be aware of. They include;
- Burst pipe– Failing to start thawing process in the right away, you can cause a pipe burst. You should always start thawing close to the faucet.
- Fire- Any thawing process involving heat source can have a risk to start fire. Always ensure that you follow keenly the safety instructions.
If you feel that you’re not comfortable to thaw the pipes, locate a frozen pipe or repair the pipe bursts call a professional plumber to remedy for you the problem. Otherwise, if you believe in yourself, follow the above guides correctly and you’ll solve the frozen pipe issues in your home with ease.