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In warm weather, water flows freely but, as temperatures drop, it does take a toll on your plumbing. When water within your pipe freezes, it expands and builds tremendous pressure causing the pipes to burst. Such a calamity invariably happens at a weak spot in your piping.
Turning on your faucet and noticing no water coming out in frigid winter conditions is an early indicator of a frozen pipe. This scenario demands the immediate attention of an emergency plumber who professionally inspects your pipes even when the problematic areas are inaccessible.
Prevent Pipes from Freezing
Bursting of frozen pipes can lead to severe damage, especially when the ice thaws, causing water to gush out and flood your home. When nobody is around to turn off the water supply swiftly, such flooding can prove disastrous.
For precautions to prevent your water supply pipes from freezing, lean on the knowledge and skills of a trained emergency plumber. Unlike drain pipes, water pipes are smaller in diameter, pressurized, and tend to retain water; hence, they are more prone to freezing.
Following the listed expert advice helps to prevent a crisis at home:
- Activate your heating provision to keep your pipes warm and prevent the water within from freezing.
- Open the faucet and allow it to drip slightly thereby, reducing the chances of pressure building up inside your pipes.
- Keep interior cabinet doors open, mostly when your pipes are concealed in cabinets to allow your indoor home heat to flow throughout.
- Delegate an emergency plumber to seal the gaps around pipes that run through your floors and walls to safeguard your pipes from cold air.
- Assign Rockwall, TX plumbing technicians to apply heating tape around sections of your piping at risk of freezing to keep them warm during cold spells.
- Rely on our skilled plumbers to correctly add extra insulation to pipes located in your attic, basement, or any other area exposed to freezing temperatures.
Call Professionals to Deal with Frozen Pipes
Swiftly dealing with a frozen pipe minimizes the water damage it can cause to your home should it burst. Seeking the assistance of the best emergency plumber at such times is critical.
You can count on our trained staff to resolve the problem at hand by applying tested techniques. Listed is the approach resorted to by our experienced professionals:
Identify Location
With all the training they have, an emergency plumber is quick to identify the location of the frozen pipes. The pipes leading to faucets release a slight trickle or no water when turned on.
Exposed pipes, especially in the exterior of your home, display visible frozen sections like a bulge of ice or frost. Whether the frozen portion of the pipe is accessible or enclosed behind a wall, our experts can proactively prevent potential damage.
Shut Inlets and Open Faucets
Once the origin of the problem is successfully identified, the inlet valves that allow water to enter your pipeline are firmly shut. To further reduce the water pressure, faucets that the frozen pipes feed water to are kept open.
Both the hot and cold water sections are left in on mode to relieve the pressure that builds up within your piping system. This step is critical before the emergency plumber commences thawing your frozen pipes.
Initiate Thawing
The plumbing experts we provide are familiar with the thawing process. They begin by applying heat near the outlet faucet and gradually thawing the entire frozen pipe section.
Starting the other way round is detrimental as there is no escape from the melting ice, given the area closest to the outlet is still icy. An emergency plumber will never use an open flame device to transfer heat to blocked pipes knowing it can damage your plumbing and possibly cause a fire.
A qualified plumber continues to apply gentle heat till the water exits from the faucet with full strength. Exposed frozen pipes are kept warm using a hairdryer, heat lamp, or even by wrapping hot towels or electrical heating tape directly over them.
Concealed frozen pipes can be thawed by turning up the heating in your home. Alternately, placing an infrared lamp such that the heat penetrates the section behind which the pipe is located also works.
Restore Water
On completing the thawing exercise, the plumber closely inspects your pipes for any signs of leakages. Should a leak be spotted, repairs are undertaken on priority.
In the absence of any alarming signs, the main valves are reopened to restore water flow throughout your home. Once the water begins to flow at the usual pace, the faucet outlets are then closed.
Familiarize Location of the Main Water Valve
Knowing your main shut-off valve’s location is critical to contain the damage caused when frozen pipes burst. Till the time an emergency plumber arrives on the scene, your burst water pipes can ruin your property if you fail to shut the main inlet valve promptly.
Although smaller shut-off valves are located near toilets and sinks, shutting the main valve ensures no more water enters your pipes to add to the chaos. This main valve is most often located near your water meter. If you are still clueless about its location, ask your plumber to educate you the next time he visits.
Also, get them to inspect your valve to rule out any possible glitches. A functional and accessible main shut-off valve is what you need to avert a flooding crisis when your pipes freeze. Ideally, call in the plumbing technicians to prevent such a disaster once you notice an open faucet not releasing water.
Your Local Plumbers are at Your Service
Place your faith on the bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of North East Dallas – Rockwall, TX specialists to attend to your frozen pipes before they can cause any damage. We will assign an emergency plumber to urgently visit your home with reliable thawing equipment and install freeze prevention as a proactive measure.
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