A frozen pipe can wreak major havoc on your home. Those freezing pipes turn into bursting pipes. And, if you consider the amount of force it takes to break a metal pipe, some terrible thoughts might spring to mind.
In order to avoid a frozen or burst pipe, it’s best to spend a nice Fall afternoon preparing your pipes for the winter months.
However, if life simply got in the way and now you’re faced with a frozen water pipe, let’s walk you through what you can do.
1. Shut Off the Water Supply
A pipe that hasn’t burst yet usually tips its hand when you go to turn on a faucet. If the water pressure is weak, that’s your first clue there’s a blockage.
Before you do anything, make sure you shut off the water supply to that section of the plumbing, or even the entire house.
You want this to be your first step because it’s likely the frozen water has been acting as a dam for the rest of the water that wants to flow out.
Also, be sure to open the faucet that first clued you in on this frozen pipe.
2. Have Your Mop In Hand
Be prepared for a bit of a mess once you’ve been able to thaw everything out. All that ice has to melt and go somewhere. Stay one step ahead of the game with your drop cloth, mop, and bucket.
3. Bring the Heat
If the frozen pipe is exposed, take a space heater, heat lamp, or hair dryer to it. This will thaw out that trouble spot in no time at all.
If you don’t have time to sit there with your heat source in hand, you can try wrapping the impacted piece of pipe with thermostatically controlled tape.
If the pipe is behind a wall or ceiling, things become more tricky. First, try turning up the heat in the house. You can also place a space heater in front of the section of the wall that you think is housing the frozen pipe.
At this point, though, plumbing services might be your safest bet. Once you start thinking about cutting into sections of the wall or ceiling, why not call in the pros?
What If the Pipe Bursts?
If you’ve got a real mess like this on your hand, there are only two things to do.
- Shut off the water supply to your entire house.
- Call a Las Vegas plumber
We have a 24 hour plumber on standby for just these kinds of emergencies. Feel free to store our number in your cell phone: (702) 710-7388.
In the meantime, try to mop up as much water as possible. You don’t want to wage a war against mold or mildew next. Contacting an emergency plumber will save you time and hassle.
There’s no plumbing disaster we can’t handle for you. The reason we retain so many long-term clients is because we always go the extra mile. We’ll be more than happy to do the same for you.
In the meantime, enjoy those snowball fights and mugs brimming with hot chocolate from the warmth of your winter home!
