Freezing cold weather poses a lot of problems, especially for homeowners. There's always a worry about roofs collapsing under the weight of the heavy snow, or clearing snow and ice from driveways and walkways, but there's also the concern of your pipes freezing throughout the winter months. If your home is not insulated properly, or your pipes are not insulated enough, there's a chance that your pipes could freeze, and you could end up with some serious issues on your hands. If your pipes do happen to freeze, there are a few things you may be able to do to help. Read on for some helpful information.
Turn Off The Water
If your pipes are frozen and have burst, you may have water sputtering out like a fire hose. You need to turn the water off at the shutoff and keep it off. Turn off the main water supply if necessary for the time being so you don't end up with even more water flooding your home from another burst pipe elsewhere in your home. Turn off the water supply and grab buckets to help catch the water that has already spewed out.
Heat The Pipes
Heat up the pipes in your home to help prevent any further issues. If you have a crawl space, use a heater to blow hot air into the crawl to help thaw out the pipes and to keep them warm. Never use a torch to help thaw out the pipes, as this is a fire hazard, and you could be setting yourself up for even more damage than you anticipated. Heat the pipes with a heater safely just to warm them enough to get the water to drain out and prevent any more damage to your pipes.
Call For Help
You should call a professional plumber to help you make the necessary repairs to your pipes and to prevent a future issue with your pipes freezing and bursting in your home during the harsh winter months. If your pipes are beneath your home in a crawl space, or beneath your home and aren't insulated, this is something that could happen to you again in the future. You need to call for help to make the repairs you need now and to do some preventative maintenance for you as well.
If your pipes are frozen, get help immediately. Don't allow them to remain frozen, and don't attempt to repair them yourself. Stop the water, drain what is in the pipes into a bucket or several buckets, and call for help immediately. Get a professional plumber to come to your home to make the necessary repairs to your pipes. For more information, contact a company like Right Away.
Share20 January 2023
Think about how different your life would be without plumbing. To get water, you would have to walk outside and pull it up from a well. To use the bathroom, you would have to venture out to an outhouse, which would certainly not be pleasant in the winter. We really have to thank plumbers for the work that they do, since it allows us all to stay comfortable and do our business inside of our homes. Life has been transformed, in so many ways, by the plumbing profession. Join us in honoring plumbers by reading the articles on this website.