Our Kingston plumbers give advice on Thawing Frozen Pipes
Winter is finally here and with that can come some plumbing issues with your pipes. It can get really cold in Kingston and sometimes that means your pipes might freeze in your home. Here are some helpful tips to finding and fixing frozen pipes.
First you should try and locate the frozen pipe. This is done by turning on each faucet in your home one by one. If no water is coming from any faucet in your home then the frozen pipe is likely right at your main water supply. These pipes are usually located on the street side of your basement or if you have a crawl space that is uninsulated, the pipes may be located in there.
Once you find the pipe, run your hand along the pipe and find the coldest spot. This will likely be where the pipe is frozen.
Sometimes water flows from some faucets and not others, this problem might be the pipe connected to the faucet that has no water flow. The best way to find the frozen section is to check uninsulated walls first. If you can, run your hand on the pipe and find the coldest spot.
If you have copper or plastic pipes in your home then you’ll also want to check the cold spot for cracks, splits or bulges. If you notice any of these call our Kingston plumbers immediately. These issues can cause flooding in the area when they thaw.
If you don’t see any crack, splits or bulges then you can try and thawing the frozen area. A good option is to have a space heater near by to warm the area. But exercise caution when using a space heater or heat lamp, never leave the device unattended. Don’t have it near any chemicals or flammable materials. For example if you have a kitchen frozen pipe, you’ll want to remove any cleaning supplies you may have under your sink.
Another option is to use a hair dryer, this way you can monitor how the pipe is thawing. Be aware that hair dryers can get hot so be careful if you have plastic pipes in your home.
If at any time you are unsure of what to do, please give our Kingston plumbers a call. We’ll be happy to help thawing frozen pipes in your home.
