A Guide for Safely Thawing Out Frozen Water Pipes

Winter is truly the most wonderful time of the year for plumbers. When the first freezing winter weather arrives, plumbers know that they are going to be busy with hundreds of plumbing service calls just to thaw out frozen water pipes. There's no need to worry about safety when thawing out frozen pipes yourself if you observe a few rules. Hopefully, the know-how in the following plumbing improvement guide will show you how to safely thaw out your frozen water pipes.

Freezing cold air that makes it way into your home and onto uninsulated water pipes will freeze them up quickly. Although water lines are located throughout a building, those that are most likely to freeze up are located near a foundation or exterior wall. Unheated spaces such as these are trouble areas. Anytime a water pipe is left open and exposed to a draft of sub-freezing air it is going to freeze up. Copper water pipes are going to swell and burst, possibly causing water damage to walls, ceilings and floors. A burst water pipe in a bathroom spells real trouble, as repairs are going to be expensive and inconvenient.

You can thaw out a frozen water pipe on your own, but keep this important safety tip in mind. Using an open flame from any source is strongly not recommended. An open flame from a propane torch can result in a house fire if precautions are not taken. House fires caused by the improper use of an open flame to thaw a frozen water pipe are completely preventable. A good, and safe way to thaw a frozen water pipe is to use radiant heat.

Most households have blow dryers and electric space heater which will do the job just as well as the flame from a torch. These can generate quite a lot of heat on the high temperature setting and they direct the heat safely to wherever it's needed. Using this technique, any section of frozen water pipe can be thawed out safely and quickly. Now that the water pipe has been thawed, it's a good time to improvement the cause for the water pipe to freeze up in the first place. Try to localize where the cold air is entering your home and plug it up using expanding insulating foam, fiberglass insulation, or caulk, depending upon the dimensions and depth of the hole or crack.

Easy to use expanding foam insulation is a good way to make sure that the offending crack is completely blocked off. There are different types of foam, each intended for use in specific applications. It's a good idea to discuss your situation with a sales person if you have any questions about which type of foam is best suited for your home. When using the foam, don't forget to wear protective gloves as recommended by the manufacturer of the product.

With a little time and effort you can prevent frozen water pipes by making sure that your home's walls, crawl spaces, foundation and attic are properly insulated and your water lines are insulated also. Investing in a small amount of insulation, foam pipe wrap, caulk, expanding foam and fiberglass insulation for pipes is a good way to halt your water pipes from ever freezing up again. Doing so will save you quite a bit a misery when the temperatures are at their lowest. Occasionally, and despite your best efforts against freezing temperatures, water pipes do freeze, and if they do, you should break out the hair dryer or radiant heater to thaw frozen water pipes and get them back in working order quickly.

That's all there is for this plumbing service guide. For more intelligence about how you can make basic plumbing repairs, visit PracticalRepairs.com where all home repairs are good repairs.