Your Guide To Frozen Water Pipes

Canadian winters are harsh and can make a few things uncomfortable. Among them is the issue of frozen pipes that happens for various reasons. Although some helpful tips can prevent your pipes from freezing, you can’t completely ignore them.

Therefore, you must be prepared for any unexpected situation that might occur with your pipes. Frozen pipes are dangerous as they might burst. So, you have to act fast in such circumstances. A frozen pipe is not something that you can fix on your own. Even if you fix them, the results will be temporary, and ultimately you will need commercial plumbers.

Thawing a frozen pipe is important so you can continue your daily chores. However, it is even more important to know what to do in such a situation. This blog post will guide you on what to do if you have frozen water pipes in your building and how to fix them.

Why Do Pipes Freeze?

Due to the lower temperature conditions in your area, the water can freeze in the pipes. We all are taught about water anomalies in school. Unlike other materials, water expands when it freezes. This puts tremendous pressure on the pipes, leading to the bursting of the pipes.

Therefore, preventive steps are necessary to avoid frozen pipes. Outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, and water sprinkler lines are most commonly exposed to the outer atmosphere and, thus, more prone to freezing.

How To Identify If Your Water Pipes Are Freezing

It might be hard to spot a frozen pipe easily as not all pipes are visible. If you see frost developing on your water pipes, it might signify that the water inside the pipe is getting frozen. Moreover, if there is no water coming out of your faucets or if your toilet is not flushing despite you pressing the flush button, this could be a sign that your pipes have frozen.

How Do You Unthaw Frozen Pipes?

After spotting a frozen pipe, the first step is to stop the water supply to that pipe. If the water continues to come back from the source, it might put more pressure on the pipe and lead to bursting. Moreover, you should be prepared with a towel and a bucket to deal with the thawing pipes.

Use a hairdryer or space heater to thaw your frozen pipes. Don’t ever use a propane source to thaw it as it could lead to the pipe bursting and is a fire hazard. You can also use a hot towel or electrical heating tape.

Where Should You Begin The Thawing Process?

Begin your thawing process near the faucet and then continue down to the blockage. The melting ice and steam will go out through the faucet. Thawing near the blockage will create more pressure on the pipe, leading to bursting.

How Do You Thaw Hard-To-Reach Pipes?

Thawing an invisible pipe may be hard and require professional help. However, what you can do is to increase the temperature of your property which might help in ice blockage melting. You can also put an infrared lamp in front of the portion of the wall where you think that pipe has been blocked. If nothing works, you might need to cut that section of the wall where the pipe is located.

Call A Professional

One of the best ways to deal with a frozen pipe is to call a professional. Professional plumbing contractors can help you unthaw and fix your frozen pipes. Doing it on your own might pose serious damages to your pipes and property. Therefore, it is better to leave it to the professionals.

About Jack’d Up Plumbing

Jack’d Up Plumbing is a trusted plumbing company in Calgary offering many Plumbing related services. If you are having issues with your pipes and want to get them fixed as soon as possible, call Jack’d Up Plumbing.

We provide prompt, professional, and affordable plumbing services to our residential and commercial customers in Calgary and surrounding areas. For more information about our services or talk to our professionals, contact us here.