Wednesday, January 17, 2018

What To Do If You Suspect You Have A Frozen Pipe

If you turn on a fixture and very little or no water comes out, you may have a frozen pipe.  We highly recommend calling a licensed plumber right away to get on their schedule as soon as possible.  Next, shut your water off at the main shut-off valve.  Click here to learn more about where your shut off valves are located.  If there is a visible leak and you do NOT know where your shut off valve is, then call your local water utility company so they can come and shut the water off for you underground at the street. 
Here are a few tips on thawing frozen pipes for the 'do-it-yourselfers': 
  • Make sure the water is off at the main!
  • Try to locate the frozen pipe.  If you had no water at any fixtures in the home, then the frozen pipe is probably near your main.  If only one fixture was affected, then one of the pipes feeding that fixture may be frozen.  Open the faucet that the suspected frozen pipes are feeding and try to follow the pipes from that fixture. 
  • With the faucet remaining open, try to use a heat lamp or a hair dryer to thaw the frozen area. 
  • Visually inspect the pipe for any cracks or breaks – if the pipe appears damaged then you will want to stop here, leave the water off and wait for a plumber to make the repair.
  • If the pipe does not appear to be broken, you can turn the water back on once the frozen area has started to melt.
  •  Leave the water running at this fixture until the pipe is completely thawed, you may want to leave it trickling to help prevent it from refreezing.
  •  If the pipe froze once, it could freeze again – it’s important to have a plumber or contractor come out to identify any problem areas.  The piping may need to be rerouted, insulated, or your crawlspace may need to be insulated more.
  • If you followed the above steps and were able to successfully thaw the frozen pipe, you should still have a plumber come out and inspect the piping to ensure there are no additional issues or leaks. 

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