Coming back home from a sunny holiday and to be greeted by a flooded apartment can be a nightmare for a lot of people and all because of freezing pipes. Imagine all of your things getting wet and ending up damaged or useless. Instead of unpacking, you end up calling the plumber for one of those emergency express repairs which will probably cost you more than it usually does.
This problem is very common during the winter season because when water running through exposed lines freeze, they take up space inside the pipes. When the pipes are completely frozen, the ice can break through the pipes thereby allowing melted ice to flood your home. It can be avoided though, saving you money and the hassles in the process.
Plumbers will usually suggest that you use pipe insulation as the first line of defense against freezing. Rubber foam sleeves and fiberglass provide excellent pipe insulation and can keep exposed pipes warm during the winter season. Electrically powered heating strips are then wrapped around the pipes to make doubly sure that the pipes won’t freeze up. One shouldn’t be surprised to see frozen pipes without these insulators around. The water pressure will also drop due to the fact that the ice inside the pipes will obstruct the water flow. During the winter season, take the drop in water pressure as a sign that there is freezing somewhere in your pipelines. The sooner you act, the more you can avoid this nightmare.
It is advised that you shut down the water as soon as you detect freezing pipes. Let the melted ice and trapped steam out of the pipes by opening your faucets. These freezing pipes need gentle thawing to melt the ice and relieve the pipe of the added weight brought about by the ice. Don’t apply direct heat on the affected section as it may do more harm than good. Placing direct heat over the affected area may cause the melted ice to turn into boiling water that could split the pipe open due to the steam pressure. Remember not to let the pipes heat up to the point that they become too hot to touch. There are several ways to gently thaw the affected pipes without damaging them.
- Blow Dry - Using a hair dryer over the affected area can help the ice thaw gently without heating it too much.
- Space Heater – Direct a space heater towards the affected area.
- Wrap The Pipes – By dipping rags into hot water and wrapping them around the pipes. This is effective as well but may require you to do it a few times before the ice thaws.
- Heating Strips – Wrap the affected areal with electrically powered heating strips.
Following these tips may help you to avoid flooding even before they happen. It may also prevent you pipes from getting damaged. Ultimately, we want to avoid the hassle because it will cost us money which we are trying to save these days.