Our Guide to Fixing Frozen Pipes
Frozen pipes affect your water supply and may cause lasting damage to your home plumbing structure. Thousands of Canadians experience frozen pipes annually as the temperatures drop and cause water inside pipes to freeze and expand. It’s why frozen pipes are second only to hurricanes in terms of the overall number of insurance claims across North America.
To help protect your homes against the potential damage frozen pipes may cause, this post explains our guide to fixing frozen pipes.
The Signs of a Frozen Pipe
Before attempting to fix frozen pipes, it’s best to confirm the problem with a local plumber. To help you identify a frozen pipe as the source of your plumbing problems, check for the following:
Unusual Sounds from the Pipe
When a pipe freezes, you’ll likely begin to hear unusual sounds from the pipe when you run your water. You may hear banging and gurgling as the water begins turning from a liquid to a solid and makes contact with the pipe. The sounds are also related to the change in water pressure at freezing temperatures or the water expanding as it freezes.
Cracks in Your Pipe
Water at freezing temperatures will expand as ice and look for a way to escape the enclosed space. With the faucet closed, the expanding water will cause the pipe to crack and burst. Cracks are the primary sign of a frozen pipe. Plumbers can quickly identify a frozen pipe by the damage within the surrounding pipe structures and connections.
Lack of Water
The ice within the frozen pipe may either partially or fully block the water flow. The lack of water is the first sign for most homeowners of a plumbing issue requiring analysis and repair. Confirm frozen pipes by checking your water has not been shut off at the main valve and that you don’t have a leak anywhere else within your plumbing.
The Steps to Fix a Frozen Pipe
Open the Tap and Keep the Water Running
Because water will continually enter your system and expand as it freezes while traveling the length of the pipe, you should shut off the main water supply to the home. This is a temporary measure to prevent further damage to your plumbing and minimize the chances of a significant leak.
Apply Heat to Exposed Pipes
Starting from the faucet and working your way towards the frozen area of the pipe, apply heat to your plumbing to slowly increase the temperature of the water and improve water flow.
You can use the following household items to apply heat to your plumbing:
- Hair dryers
- Electrical heating pads
- Portable space heaters
- Hot towels
Turn Up the Heat in the Home
Your home thermostat gives you some control over the heat reaching the pipes. When you recognize the signs of frozen pipes, turning up the temperature in the home is a great way to help speed up the thawing process.
Open doors to the affected rooms to allow the warm air to circulate effectively. If you know with certainty which area of your piping structure is frozen, you might also place space heaters in this location.
Why It’s Often Best to Call a Plumber to Fix Your Frozen Pipe
While DIY methods of thawing a frozen pipe may prove effective, the time spent learning to fix the issue and the potential to focus on the wrong areas, might cause costly delays. Each minute that passes leads to a greater chance that your pipes could burst any moment. And a burst pipe is a far more expensive and damaging plumbing problem.
Call Thunderbird Plumbing Victoria for Frozen Pipe Repair Services
Thunderbird Plumbing Victoria offers proactive frozen pipe repair services for homeowners across Victoria, Saanich, Lang
Proactive plumbing guidance can help protect your home pipes as the temperatures drop. To speak with a local plumber about frozen pipes in your home, call Thunderbird Plumbing today at 250-514-4044.