Preventing and managing frozen pipes
As winter sets in, it's essential to keep your home warm and your water flowing smoothly. Frozen pipes can be a real hassle, leading to disruptions in your water supply and even causing damage to your home. But don't worry—we've got some friendly advice to help you prevent and manage frozen pipes.
When temperatures drop, the water inside your pipes can freeze. This causes the water to expand, placing pressure on the pipes, which in turn, can create the potential for them to burst. Burst pipes can lead to water damage, expensive repairs, and leave you without a way to heat your home during these cold periods.
Use warm water, a hot towel or hair dryer to thaw the frozen length of pipe.
Pipes will eventually unfreeze on their own naturally.
Probably the most popular and safest pipe-thawing option is to use warm/hot water (do not use boiling water or any form of naked flame).
Wrap and secure a heavy towel around the pipe to concentrate and hold heat against it. Place a bucket under the pipe to catch run-off water, then pour hot water over the towel.
Once you've found the culprit, you'll need to thaw it out to get things flowing again. Slowly pour hot (but never boiling) water over the frozen pipe and place a hot water bottle over it to help melt away the ice.
It is important that whenever you attempt to defrost a pipe, that you do it gradually to prevent potential bursts.
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