Frozen pipes
Don’t take for granted when you open a faucet and there is no water that comes out. Contact a plumber immediately. It is also important to be aware where the main shut off valve is lest a water pipe breaks open. The valve is found at the water meter where the main line goes into the house. Immediately you notice a broken pipe, go to the main shut off valve and turn off the water supply. Similarly, leave the taps open and contact a professional plumber to do repairs.
Melting frozen pipes
When you notice that your pipes are frozen, don’t melt them using an open flame. An open flame is dangerous because it can start a fire as well as damage the pipe. A hand-help dryer is suitable for melting a frozen pipe. Open the faucet; gradually apply the heat on the pipe. You can start from the faucet end of the pipe them work your way towards the deeply frozen part.
It is important that you don’t use electrical devices while you stand in water because you could be electrocuted. At the same time, never use hot water to melt a frozen pipe because it will cause the pipe to break. Melting a pipe can seem like an easy task that you can do but; this is so because you have no idea why freezing occurs and why the pipe bursts.
Why a pipe bursts
Ice that forms in the pipe is not responsible for a pipe burst in the area of blockage. No matter how much ice expands inside the pipe, it will not break. When ice forms in the pipe and causes blockage, the continual freezing and growth of ice inside that pipe cause an increase of pressure downstream. During this time, the faucet s closed and the increasing pressure between the closed faucet and ice blockage cause a pipe to break. In most cases, pipes burst when there is little ice forming within.
The ice blockage upstream causes water to move back towards its source hence there is no pressure building here to make the pipe burst. Ice blockage occurs when the water completely freezes. Safety of pipes occurs when they are placed inside a building’s structure. It also occurs on insulated pipes as well as those with heating on them.
Preventing frozen pipes
There are three ways of doing this: the first one is to find all pipes that are vulnerable to freezing. These are pipes close to outside walls, crawl places, basements as well as those in unheated rooms. Moreover, consider pipes in trailers and older homes because they are not protected.
The second thing to do is to give these pipes protection. This you can do by insulting them before freezing temperatures strike. Keep the lid to an outside meter firmly closed and don’t worry about the snow that falls on it.
Lastly let a small drip of water to run overnight if the temperature falls below zero. Running water doesn’t freeze and it will not cost you much.
Why you should call rush when you have a frozen pipe
Chances of a pipe bursting when you melt the pipe using do-it-yourself techniques are high as opposed to letting experts handle the problem professionally. Experts will prevent you from incurring high costs of repair when the pipe bursts and they will do the job perfectly the first time. Call Denver Drains and Plumbing immediately you suspect your pipes are frozen.