When temperatures dip below freezing, your home’s pipes can freeze and burst, causing a huge mess and major damage to your home. Not only will you have to address the broken pipes and plumbing fixtures, but you may also have to pay for expensive water remediation services to get your home back to normal.
It’s important to address frozen pipes as soon as possible to prevent damage and costly repairs.
What Are the Warning Signs of Frozen Pipes?
Any time a pipe is exposed to temperatures around or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours, there’s a potential for it to freeze. So, the temperature outside of your home is typically your first warning sign that your home may have frozen pipes, but there are other ways to tell.
Other warning signs of frozen pipes can include these:
- No water or dramatically slower flow
- Whistling, banging, and other unusual sounds coming from your pipes
- Bubbling sounds when you flush a toilet
- Frost on the pipe’s exterior
- Dampness, water blisters, ceiling water rings, and other signs of water intrusion
- A bulging or cracking pipe with ice seeping out, which indicates it has already burst
Once you’ve noticed any of these signs, it’s important to call a professional plumber for help and take the next steps for protecting your home.
How to Thaw Frozen Pipes
If you suspect your pipes are frozen, it’s important to thaw them so that you can prevent further damage to your home. After locating where a pipe is frozen, turn off the water supply to your home and open all faucets in your home. This will help water move in the right direction once you thaw your pipes and prevent flooding from the main water supply.
Begin thawing your home’s plumbing system by using a heat gun or hair dryer on a low setting to gradually warm up frozen pipes. This may take several minutes, but the ice will eventually melt away. If you don’t have a heat gun or hair dryer, hot towels can also work – they’re especially handy for areas that the other two devices can’t reach.
How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing
It’s important to remember that prevention is key when it comes to avoiding frozen pipes. Make sure your home is properly insulated and that you’ve taken the steps to winterize all of your plumbing faucets and fixtures in order to prevent frozen pipes from happening in the first place.
If frozen pipes become a recurring issue, it would be wise to consult with a professional plumber who can inspect your plumbing system for any potential weak spots that contribute to frozen pipe problems during wintertime. By staying proactive and taking necessary precautions, you can keep frozen pipes away for good!
Contact Us for Plumbing Services
If frozen pipes become a recurring issue, it would be wise to consult with a professional plumber who can inspect your plumbing system for any potential weak spots that contribute to frozen pipe problems during wintertime.
We at Carter Quality Plumbing, LLC can provide the services you require to help you address frozen pipes, the damage they may have caused, and prevent them from freezing at all.
For more information, be sure to contact us online today!