5 Tips to Thaw Frozen Pipes During an Arctic Blast So They Do Not Damage Your Property
An arctic blast is set to invade the central United States today. During these cold temperatures, water pipes in your home or business could freeze. If you know your pipes are frozen, you need to thaw them out quickly or the pipes could burst and cause extensive water damage to your property. Below are five tips on how to thaw out frozen water pipes.
1. Turn Up the Heat
One way to unfreeze water pipes is to turn up the heat in your home or business. Make sure to open all doors and cabinets and set up fans to blow heat into the area with the frozen pipes. If you raise the temperature high enough in the room, the frozen pipe could thaw out.
2. Thaw Pipes with Blow Dryer or Hot Towels
First, leave faucets slightly open so the water can trickle out once thawed. Then start by warming the pipe from the tip of the faucet first with the blow dryer or hot towels moving toward coldest part of the pipe. Thawing out the tip first gives the water somewhere to drain. Apply this heat until the water pressure is completely restored.
3. Thaw with Space Heater or Heat Lamp
Plug your space heater or heat lamp into an electrical outlet. Make sure the electrical outlet cannot get wet from your pipes if they burst. Then place the heater about a foot away from the faucet. Every few minutes check on the pipe to see if it is unfrozen. Once that portion has thawed, move the heater to the new section of the frozen pipe.
4. Use Electric Heat Tape
Another way to thaw pipes is to buy and use electric heat tape on the frozen pipes. Place the electric tape on the affected pipe and wait for it to thaw out slowly.
5. Send Salt Water Down the Drain
If you know that your drain is frozen, you can use cooking salt to try to unfreeze your pipes. First, boil hot water from a working faucet. Then add a large amount of salt to the water. The more salt the better. Pour salt water down the drain. Add more every few hours and keep checking.
You will know your pipe is unfrozen once the water starts trickling out of the faucet or down the drain. After you have running water, let the water run for a while to completely clear the pipe. Then turn off the faucet and check the pipe for water leaks.
If your pipe has a water leak, shut off your water immediately by locating your main water shut off valve and turning it off. While the damage has already been done to your pipe, this will save you from further water damage in your home. If you find your home or business has a water loss due to frozen pipes, give our restoration experts a call on our 24/7/365 disaster hotline at 844-413-3130 or contact us here.
