Frozen Pipes And How To Fix Them

The cold season presents all kinds of problems. We try to keep our bodies warm, our pets warm, and our devices and appliances functional despite the harsh weather. As a homeowner, you should be very much concerned about the state of your home during the winter season. After all, we spend most of our time indoors during the cold season. One of the most critical areas in your house is the home plumbing system. The home plumbing system can suffer serious problems during the cold season. This is especially so for your outdoor plumbing. That is why you should prepare all the vulnerable parts of your outdoor plumbing before the cold season.

Outdoor pipes should be a major concern when you are preparing your home plumbing system for the cold season. This is because the water flowing in these pipes can freeze when exposed to extremely low temperatures. This is what we call frozen pipes. The water freezes inside the pipes causing pressure buildup in the pipes, which can cause the pipes to burst. Today we are going to learn all about frozen pipes and how to fix them.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes occur when you expose you outdoor pipes to extremely low temperatures. This means that you can prevent frozen pipes by insulating them during the cold season. You can insulate all your outdoor pipes using insulating sleeves to keep them warm. You can also prevent frozen pipes by shutting off all the water flowing in some of your outdoor pipes. Outdoor pipes include garden hoses and swimming pool lines. You will not need these pipes during the cold season. As such, you can drain all the water in these pipes and then shut off their water supply. There will be no water flowing in these pipes, which means that they cannot freeze during the cold season. Pipes installed inside your house can also freeze during the cold season. You can prevent freezing in these indoor pipes by keeping your furnace(s) and/or thermostat on at all times during the cold season.

Signs That You Have Frozen Pipes

You should try to prevent frozen pipes as much as possible. However, sometimes all these measures fail or you are just late in implementing them. In such a case, you will end up with frozen pipes in your home. It’s very important that you know how to identify frozen pipes in your home. One clear indication that you have frozen pipes in your house is frost on the outer surface of the pipes. Another sign that you might be having frozen pipes in your house is water flow problems in the pipes. If you notice water shortages in your home, call your water supply company. If the problem is on your end, then you could be having frozen pipes in your home. Frozen pipes can burst any time.

Fixing Frozen Pipes

You can try to thaw frozen pipes on your own. You can use a hair dryer or any other heat producing device to thaw the frozen pipes. However you are warned never to use an open flame to thaw frozen pipes. The most recommendable solution for frozen pipes is pipe thawing services by a professional Cincinnati plumber. Call your local plumber as soon as possible to fix your frozen pipes.