Frozen pipes are one of the biggest winter plumbing problems, and a huge pain for any homeowner to deal with. While you would think that climates where temperatures do not regularly dip below freezing wouldn’t actually be at risk for frozen pipes, this is not the case, as the temperature only has to reach 32 degrees for water to freeze. In fact, sometimes warmer parts of the country are more at risk for frozen pipes, as homes in these areas often don’t have any insulation around exterior and exposed piping. Keep reading to learn how to thaw frozen pipes from our expert Memphis plumbers, and make sure to contact Smith’s Plumbing Services for all your other piping and drain needs.
5 Steps for Thawing Frozen Pipes:
- If you turn on your faucet and find there is only a trickle of water coming out, there is a good chance you’ve got a frozen pipe on your hands. Look for the culprit on the walls outside of your home, or where water lines enter your house through the foundation.
- Once you find the affected section of frozen piping, you will have several options to defrost it. You can wrap it up with hot towels or an electric heating pad, warm it up with a hairdryer, or as long as your pipes aren’t located near anything flammable, place a space heater by the affected pipe and wait for it to thaw. Whatever you do, don’t use anything with an open flame, as this is not only very dangerous for you and your home, but can end up damaging your piping, too.
- Make sure to keep your faucet on as you are thawing your frozen pipe. As the water in your pipes begins to melt, you should check your faucet to see if water is flowing out again. Running water through your pipes will also help the ice inside them to thaw faster.
- Turn on the other faucets in your home to see if any of them refuse to run, too. If you have one frozen pipe, there is a good chance you have others, so you should check all your faucets to be absolutely sure.
- Keep applying heat to your frozen pipes until they are completely thawed. If you cannot find the pipes in question, or they are not easily accessible, then it’s time to…
Call a Professional Memphis Plumber for Frozen Pipe Assistance
At Smith’s Plumbing Services, our professionals have everything you need to take care of frozen pipes. If you aren’t able to thaw your pipes on your own, we promise to do everything we can to restore them for you. If one of your pipes does burst due to freezing, we also offer affordable re-piping service, as well as leak repair and new construction plumbing, so your pipes are never out of commission for long.
Dial (901) 290-1110 anytime for emergency service, or click here to request an appointment online.