During severe winter, a frozen pipe can be a challenge that can bring fear and dismay to any homeowner experiencing it.
Temperatures might drop too low making the water in vulnerable pipes freeze and expand. In the long run, the pipe can even rapture. When the ice liquefies in a few days, the free-flowing water will leak out from the raptured pipes, which may lead to numerous hazards.
Luckily, if you are at home and this happens, you have a high probability of fixing it yourself to prevent pipes from rapturing or you can even seek the help of experts from plumbing services.
Defrosting a frozen water pipe immediately is vital. However, it’s also beneficial to know how to thaw it properly. Here are some ways to safely do it:
Find The Frozen Pipe
Locating the frozen pipes can sometimes be challenging. Opening all the faucets in your home can help you determine where the pipe is frozen. If water fails to reach a specific faucet, tracing its plumbing lines towards the main supply would help you find the frozen area. If none of the faucets receive water, then the main supply could be the one with the problem.
You can inspect the plumbing lines with your hands to find the frozen area since the frozen pipe would be ice cold and there’ll be visible frost build-up externally. On exposed pipes, you can even see it because it bulges out slightly.
You can have many options of thawing a pipe easily if the blocked part is accessible, however, if the blockage is behind the walls, it’s better to call a trusted local plumber to help you defrost your frozen pipes.
Turn On The Faucets
After locating the frozen pipe, opening the tub spouts and sink faucets would help relieve the pressure in the system, making the water flow once you start defrosting the pipe. You can also flush your toilets to free up the water. It’s essential that you also turn off the main water supply to prevent more water from accumulating in the pipes that can cause a pipe to burst while thawing it.
Where To Start Your Thawing Process
It’s important that you start your thawing process close to the faucet and work their way to the blocked area. This helps in making sure that the steam and melted ice clears out through the faucets.
You should start the thawing process near the blocked area because the melting ice could get stuck, which may pressurize the pipe and raise the chances of the pipe bursting.
Thawing Your Pipes
Now that you have found the frozen pipes within your home area and assessed where to start, the process to use would depend on how accessible the pipes are.
Exposed Pipes
Thawing pipes that are easily accessible is quite easier. You should keep on insulating heat to the frozen pipe until the maximum amount of water flows down the faucet. You can try the following options in thawing exposed pipes:
- Place a hair dryer to the frozen part would help remove the frost, beginning with areas nearest to the faucets.
- Position a portable space heater or a heat lamp so that the heat reaches the pipe. Make sure the devices don’t get in touch with the water to avoid electrical hazards.
- Wrap towels drenched in hot water around the frozen pipes can help thaw the blockage.
- Apply an electrical heating tape that helps distribute heat throughout the pipes.
Enclosed Pipes
Thawing pipes that are not easily accessible is more tedious. Here are some suggestions on how to go about it:
- Turning up your thermostat can help increase the temperature within the property, which can aid in melting the ice that is blocking your pipes.
- If you know the specific location of the blockage, place the infrared lamp beside the wall where the frozen pipe is. The heat may penetrate through the wall, allowing the ice to melt.
- You can also cut out part of the wall to gain access to the frozen pipe, then use one of the listed suggestions for thawing an exposed pipe.
Take Away
The sudden drop in temperature during the winter season can bring about some unexpected problems and expensive damages, such as frozen and raptured pipes. Although these kinds of problems are caused by nature, it’s hard for people to control them. All that’s left to do is to know how to respond when this kind of issue arises. Make this article a guide on how to safely thaw a frozen pipe to save you time and money.
Cover photo by Vincent Erhart on Unsplash
