It has been a cold winter, temperatures have been lower for longer periods of time with minimal warm ups. Due to the extended periods of cold, many homeowners are facing frozen water lines.
Should a waterline inside your house become frozen, there are some easy solutions to thaw the line and minimize damage.
1 – Open a faucet or fixture that is on the frozen line – this way you can hear when the line thaws
2 – If it is in a heated part of your home, increase the temperature to your home a couple degrees
3 – Turn on faucets or fixtures on lines that run past or beside your frozen line
4 – Try to thaw the line with a hair dryer or space heater – ONLY do this if you are around and it is safe to do so
Once the line thaws, check for leaks. If any are present, shut off the water and call your plumbing company to come repair. If no leaks are present, run the water until flow is normal.
What do you do if it freezes outside of your house? If the line freezes between your house and the property line, your municipality is going to tell you to call a plumber (unless they have a thaw machine). The plumber will attempt to thaw the line, but if it isn’t possible, your municipality will have a policy in place on how to proceed.
To prevent the pipes outside your home from freezing, or any pipe in your home, it is important to have a small constant flow of water. Turning on one faucet or setting your toilet up so it is running is the ideal way to do this.
Frozen pipes and burst pipes are common after prolonged cold and the risk lasts into the spring as the sun pushes the frost line lower.