Frozen Pipe Repair

Unfortunately sometimes Mother Nature can have a little more power than we count on and those sudden cold snaps can do some serious damage to your home.

If you think your pipes have frozen, you need to act quickly to get them unfrozen or risk having the pipe burst from the internal pressure. Once a pipe burst it can send hundreds of gallons of water gushing into your home within just hours and if you’re not home to catch it the damage can be quite extensive.

The first thing you will need to do is find the frozen pipe. If the pipe is an exposed pipe it will be easier to access and easier to defrost than a pipe that is behind a wall or in the ceiling. You may need to consider cutting a section of wall or ceiling away to access the frozen pipe if it is concealed. Once you find the pipe you will need to check it for bulging or cracks. A pipe with cracks or beginning to bulge is near its breaking point and can burst at any time so you will need to do a few things quickly to avoid disaster.

The first thing you will need to do before you do anything else is locate your main water shut off valve. You will need to be able to get to this quickly if your pipes burst before you can defrost them so it’s a good idea to have someone at the ready to shut off the water supply.

The most highly recommend method to defrost your pipe is a hair dryer set to a high setting. Keep the air moving along the pipe working your way from the area of the main intake to the frozen area. Keep moving your hair dryer, being careful not to concentrate to long in any one area. If the pipe is close to a wall you can try and put a metal cookie sheet behind the pipe to reflect the heat of the hair dryer back onto the pipe and make the make the job a little easier.

You can also try wrapping hot wet rags to the pipe but don’t pour hot water over the pipes; the sudden thaw from pouring water over the pipes, can cause the pipe to burst. And of course as tempting as it may be to do so, don’t use an open flame to defrost the frozen pipe. Not only will an open flame work to quickly it is also a dangerous idea. Many homes have been burned and damaged from homeowners attempting to use a torch to melt their pipes only to lose control and cause a fire.