Take Action Early and Thaw Out Your Frozen Pipes

If you’ve lived your whole life in Cleveland, then you are no stranger to this cold weather. Which means you are probably familiar with frozen pipes, and what can happen if they are left frozen – bursting.

As water freezes inside of your pipes, it will try to expand. When it expands, it pushes against the sides of your pipes, any nearby valves, seams, and faucets. That freezing and pushing action puts a lot of stress on your pipes and causes them to rupture and burst.

Unfortunately, once they’re frozen, they’re stuck that way – unless you take action. There are a few ways you can thaw out those frozen pipes and we suggest trying them as soon as you can to reduce the risk of the pipe’s bursting.

How to Thaw Out Frozen Pipes in Cleveland

It’s important to note that before you try any of the below methods, you should first turn off the water at the stop valve to help relieve the pressure on the frozen pipe.

1. Heat tape: This is normally a very effective way to thaw out your pipes, but do take caution. You don’t want to wrap the tape over itself because it could cause a fire.
2. Heat gun: This is another method you need to be careful performing. If you use the heat gun near wood or paper it could also cause a fire.
3. Hairdryer: put it on it’s lowest setting and hold it over the frosted pipe.
4. Expose the pipe: If you have boxed-in areas of piping that are frozen, try exposing it to inside heat.
5. Warm, damp rags: Hold them over the pipe until you feel it warming up.

 

Pipes can be resilient, though, and these efforts may not work. If you’ve tried everything you could and still find yourself in a pipe bursting situation, take the following action before calling a professional to reduce the damage as much as possible.

What to Do if Your Pipes Burst

1. Turn off the water at the meter.
2. Then, turn off the central heating system.
3. Turn on the taps to drain the system so there’s no water flowing out of the pipes.
4. Turn off the electricity and do not touch, try to move, or attempt to repair any wiring that has been flooded.

 

Once you have taken care of those four things, it’s time to call in a Pompeii’s Plumbing and Heating professional. We are fully trained in dealing with burst pipes, and will handle the situation with care. We promise to get your plumbing back to working like normal in no time. Call us today!