Top Five Ways To UnFreeze Your Plumbing Pipes
By If your plumbing has been properly installed and taken care of your plumbing should ever freeze, but if the weather gets really cold your pipes could wind up freezing. This guide will give you the top five ways to unfreeze your pipes.
There is a few things that you will want to do before unfreezing any pipe. The first thing to determine is if the pipe you are about to unfreeze has any pressure it it. This is common if the frozen pipe is a water line. If the pipe that is frozen is a drain line it won’t be full of pressure normally because drain lines are not meant to hold pressure. If you determine that the pipe that is frozen is a water line or another type of line that has pressure it in you will want to shut of the source. For example if the water main or another domestic water line is frozen in your home you will first want to shut the water off before unfreezing the line. The reason you will want to shut a pressured line off before you unfreeze is because if the pipe has cracked or split the liquid in the pipe will spray out everywhere when you thaw the pipe.
Unfreezing the frozen pipe ca be simple once you locate the section that is frozen, so if you have located the section that is frozen continue to the steps below so you can see the best and top five ways to unfreeze your pipes.
How To Unfreeze Your Pipes With A Piping Hot Machine.
You can use something called a “piping hot” machine to unfreeze your pipes. This machine works by using to spring loaded clamps that attach to the section of the pipe. Once you connect the spring loaded clamps to the pipe you turn on the machine and the machine heats the section of pipe between the clamps. This machine can be rented from a local plumbing supply house or off course you could also buy it new .
How To Unfreeze Your Pipes With A Heat Gun
If you have a heat gun you can use that to heat the frozen pipes as well. Just take the heat gun and point it on the frozen area of the pipe and move it back and forth spreading the heat between the two frozen points.
How To Unfreeze Your Pipes With A Plumbers Torch (Only copper pipe with water)
If you have a hand held plumbers torch or even a b tank you can use the torch to unfreeze copper or a metal based pipe that has water in it only . You do NOT want to use a torch to unfreeze anything that may be flammable. So make sure to only use a torch on lines that contain water. Also be careful because using a torch will heat the pipe fast and if you heat the pipe to much you can not only unfreeze the pipe but melt the solder out of the copper fitting if you are not careful.
How To Unfreeze Your Pipes With Electric Pipe Heat Tape
Electric Plumbing heat tape is not only a great way to prevent your pipes from freezing but also a slow but effective way to defrost or unfreeze the frozen pipe. You simply just have to wrap the pipe with the heat tape and then plug the end of it into a 110 outlet. Heat tape can also be directly wired in by an electrician if it is needed in any areas that pipe insulation will not work.
How To Unfreeze Your Pipes With A Portable Electric Heater
You can use a portable space heater to also unfreeze your pipes if they are in an area that is big enough to get the space heater into. The other down side to using a portable heater is that most of them have only around 1500 watts of power and that is not that much BUT it will work to unfreeze your pipes. This method will also take much longer then then other methods of unfreezing a pipe like we mentioned above.
Proper preventive maintenance can prevent the freezing of any type of plumbing pipe anywhere in the world.It’s actually really cost effective and could cost as little as $100 dollars to protect your plumbing. Using things like pipe insulation, electric pipe heat tape, electric space heaters and plumbing water lines in inside walls only helps to prevent your pipes from freezing. If you have to call a professional licensed plumber to unfreeze your pipes it could cost you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars depending on what has froze and the damage that needs to be repaired after everything is thawed.
I have a similar problem as CeeCee…I usually leave my water dripping every night and completely forgot to do it last night. It got down to the high teens in Northwest FL. I got up this morning to brush my teeth and there was not even a drip from the bathroom faucet. What should I do??
Hi Laneysmom,
You won’t believe me when I say this but your situation is quite a bit better than CeeCee’s.
Your sink will be quite a bit easier to thaw. Lets start by cranking up the heat getting the house toasty warm, uncomfortably warm…
Your home by my understanding of Florida construction is probably on a slab with the plumbing either under the slab or routed through the attic. If the plumbing is in the slab you need to get a hair dryer ind blow air through the hole surrounding the pipes where they go into the wall. You may want to open them a little bigger for faster results. An escutcheon may be used to cover the holes that you enlarged slightly. If the plumbing is in the attic the higher than usual temperature settings can help by warming the attic. I would also consider finding the supply lines for the bathroom sink and trying the hair dryer on them.
If you have metal or CPVC pipes, they may burst from the expansion of the water freezing in the pipe. The longer it stays frozen, and the larger amount of the pipe that is frozen, the greater your chances of a burst pipe.
Make sure that you know where your main water shut of valve to your home is and that you can get to it quickly because if a pipe has burst when it thaws it will start to leak.
Our water pipes are frozen since yesterday a.m. We wrapped them with the electric tape and placed a small electric heater under our mobile home yesterday, opened all cabinet doors, ran the dryer and turned up the furnace. We live a distance from the road and the water main. Still no water. Questions- Should we go ahead and wrap the insulation on them too or wait til they’re thawed?, Would rock salt help? How long does it tape the tape to work? I’m wondering if maybe it’s frozen somewhere underground. Please help. Thanks.
Hi Vicky,
Whenever I plumbed a trailer I usually put a drain valve in the water supply line that doubled as a place where I could attach a garden hose. This could be used as a point to test if you have water coming in on the city water line or, if it is frozen. Is your trailer skirted? More heat under the trailer may help as long as you don’t put in too much heat (if you catch my drift). Knowing where the flow is blocked by ice can aid in thawing. if there anything you can check that may help in locating the ice plug(s)
I live in North Florida and my pipes are frozen also. I awaken this morning to no hot water or cold water running into the house from ANY faucet. I went to the water pump and found the filter which connects to the water pump and water line that leads into the house is completely frozen. I do not have any money to call a plumber. PLEASE tell me what can I do?
The water is now running through all the faucets! I do not see or hear any breaks! Should I run the faucets for a while? The water was Brown for a little while and left sediment in the sink. However, it has cleared now. What is that? is it something I should be concerned about?
Elizabeth,
Sorry I didn’t get to you sooner… A busy day today…
Your problem has fixed itself! The dirty water was caused by chunks of ice scrubbing the inside of the pipe as it came through when the pipe thawed. Worst case scenario you might have to unscrew and clean an aerator if the flow seems blocked.
I’m concerned though that this is going to be an extended freeze and you may very well freeze up again. I would recommend that you get the exposed pipes insulated and possibly install heat tape if you can find any in your area possibly order some on line from a company out of your area. Heat tape is probably a foreign substance in Florida. http://411plumb.com/frostex-pipe-freeze-protection-system-review
Insulation will slow down the freezing process even if you just take a box and put it around the filter stuffing it with fiber glass insulation will help. Get the exposed pipes outside insulated and possibly run the water hard for 5 minutes every hour or so when its cold to keep the warmer water coming into your line.
If the pipes freeze again use a hair dryer to warm them up and thaw them. I have an ugly feeling we’ve got more of this coming.
I live in a old house that sits off the ground and our pipes have been frozen since tuesday. no water no nothing. the water cmpany said wait but its been 2 days already. the pipes are plastic and I am at my witts end. what can Ido to thaw them out
Hi Regina,
I don’t know how high your house sits off the ground but if it is no very high I would suggest getting some kind of skirting around the bottom of the house get a heater or 2 going under there to warm things up.
If the house is high off the ground I would install heat tap on the pipes and insulate them.
http://411plumb.com/frostex-pipe-freeze-protection-system-review
You may have to go out of your area or, on line to find heat tape but we use it routinely up north.
If your pipes are CPVC they may burst from freezing be ready to shut off the main valve if they leak when the pipes thaw.
I have no water in the house at all. But i have water in my outside faucet which is located on the side of the house. Prety sure the pipes are frozen under the house. What can i do!!!
Hi Kami,
You are probably right. If you follow the pipe from where the faucet is supplied to your other fixtures you will find your freeze up. If you can go under the house a hair dryer usually thaws pipes pretty quick just following along the pipe with it. If you can’t fit under the house put some skirting around the house to seal it up and have a heater pointed under there warming it up near the pipes.
Read the posts above to see what I said about heat tap and insulation if you can get under there.
Sometimes metal or CPVC pipes can burst when they freeze. Be ready to shut off the main valve if it thaws and starts leaking.
I’m lost as a goose. My cold water line that hooksup to my washing machine has frozen. I’m not sure where to start. The lines to the washing machine hookup to are behind my washer, I have shutoff nobs for cold and hot water. Then my water heater is on the otherside of the wall. Would my main lines be in there with my heater? don’t really know where to start. My dad used to do all this for me, but he passed away 3 yrs ago, and now I’m on my own fixing my repairs and my mom’s repairs. Please help me I’m lost
One more thing I don’t know where the water is froze at, I’m hoping there here in the house. All the other lines have been on ever since it started getting cold. This is the only one that froze
Hi Pam,
More than likely there is a pipe which runs cold water to the water heater that splits off somewhere sending water to the washer. This is what is frozen. If you can trace its path and blow hot air from a hair drier on the frozen spot it will thaw. You may have to open the wall around the pipe to allow the air from the hair dryer to get to it.
Sometimes metal or CPVC pipes can burst when they freeze. Be ready to shut off the main valve if it thaws and starts leaking.
I don’t know where you guys live but I leave in the UK and I have not had cold water all day. I have tried different advises read online but no joy.
United utilities says pipes are possibly frozen and there is little they can do. My neighbour had a similar problem but his water came back tonight.
Is it a good idea to leave and wait for it to come back when temperatures improve.
Thanks
We are in the US. I’d get the heat up and try getting it thawed.
When pipes freeze they frequently burst and when they thaw they leak.
When they freeze to long and too hard pipes frequently burst.
Time is of the essence.
Thanks Johnny,
I tried the hair dryer advice again yesterday and left it to blow my inlet pipe.
Got water running again after about 20mins with no burst. Thanks for your advice. I could have left it for soo long and end up with a
burst pipe.
Nice!
I Love it when a plan comes together!
Running water and no leaks is as good as it gets!
Now see if there is any way ti insulate or get heat into that area to keep it from freezing again.
Help! My water flows fine. It just seems to be the drain that’s frozen. Neither toilet in my house will flush. My house is on a slab and there is no crawlspace so I can’t get to anything. Any suggestions?
Hi HH,
My suggestion for thawing a frozen underground drain line is to call a plumbing company that does sewer & drain cleaning as well. The jetter shoots water against the ice plug and melts its way through pretty quickly. A snake is pretty ineffective against ice… It’s like trying to wear out the ice on a pond with a single pair of ice skates.
Why it froze should be addressed as well. Have them camera the line to make sure the pipe has no bellies or sags that hold water and can freeze. The other thing that can cause a sewer to freeze is a dripping faucet or, leaking toilet. The low flow doesn’t have enough mass to keep from freezing as it travels down the pipe and skids to a stop creating an ice plug. These problems need to be fixed to keep the line from freezing again.
I have older double wide, it is 3ft off the ground, has skirting and the plumbing is PEX. It has insulation on all the pipes but no heat tape. I live in Kansas and the pipes froze today. It is supposed to be in the negatives the next 4 days. I was able to get water to the water heater but that is it. There is too much line to figure out were it could be frozen. Any suggestions?
Hi Slim,
My suggestion would be to get a portable heater pointed under the trailer and warm things up.
Be careful not to get things smoking hot!
I live in a very old house and the hot water pipes have frozen what should I do? I have both fac. Dripping but the hot froze
Hi Kay,
Without knowing more specific there is little more I can say than get the heat cranked up, and use space heaters and hair dryers to warm up the pipes where they are frozen. Be careful to avoid fire hazards with the space heaters.
If you have metal pipes a plumber with an electric pipe thawing machine can usually take care of the problem. If you are in the deep south you may be out of luck finding a plumber that has a pipe thawing machine because they typically only have a need for them every 20 years so they don’t buy them. Metal and CPVC pipes can burst if they freeze too hard.
i’m in georgia our water line froze last night between the meter and the house 1/2 of the line is under sod the other half is under just dirt. where is the pipe more likely to be frozen and how do i unthaw such a large area. i thought about laying a dark colored tarp over the ground with some hay under it will that raise the ground temp?
Hi Marc,
If your line is metal, us plumbers up north of Dixie use an electric pipe thawing machine which your plumbers down there probably do not have. An electric welder welder pushing 150-200 amps could be used clamped on to each side of the freeze up. Then do the straw layer and dark tarp it may help prevent refreezing.
If the line is plastic and won’t conduct electricity the job just got tougher. The insulating will probably slow the warm up but the dark tarp may help if the sun is out. You may have to dig the like and heat it or, run a tube into the line against the ice plug then running water into the tube to melt through the ice.
What do you recommend to keep a mobile home’s pipes from freezing? I’ve been reading a lot of your posts and I see that the electrical tape is a great idea and keep good insulation under the home. But, should I leave the water dripping in my facets? I’ve been reasearching and some say to leave them dripping, and some say not to. I left mine dripping last night and mine froze. My house is skirted but, how well can vynil skirting keep the heat in? I’m not too worried about our pipes since the weather in central Oklahoma is about to warm back up (I say warm, but it’ll be in the 40s). But, I’d like to at least take some kind of precautions before it does this again.
Hi Sammi Jo,
Heat tape is probably your best option to prevent a freeze up.
I really do not like the let it drip advice because I have seen that cause frozen drains from it and drains are a lot tougher to thaw than a supply line. The skirt helps quite a bit and if you are frozen pointing a heater under there usually helps quite a bit in the thawing process.
We just moved into a brand new home a few months ago. With the cold weather here in Oklahoma, we have a sink that is on an outside wall and it has frozen up. The piping is up the wall, behind the wall so I can’t get to it. It is a brick home but we are afraid that the brink is actually holding the cold in. What can we do before the pipe bursts?
Hi Debbie,
Usually a brick home has a brick outer wall then a void that has insulation, pipes, wires, etc. that is covered by an interior sheetrock wall. The pipes should be on the inside of this wall between the sheetrock and the insulation. Getting this room extra hot may help. Turn up the heat, or, use a space heater close to the wall. Be careful and don’t get anything smoking hot.
Usually the holes around the pipes where they go into the wall are a little oversized and may be covered by an escutcheon which may get pulled out of the way. You may also be able to increase the size of the hole a little bigger and have the escutcheon still cover it or, if it is not in a spot where it can be readily seen make it bigger anyway and not worry about it. Then point a hair dryer in the hole to warm things up. If that is where the freeze up it might take 20 minutes or even longer in some cases to thaw it.
A plumber if called and you have metal pipes may be able to use an electric pipe thawing machine to thaw the pipes.
I don’t know if you have a slab home, or, a crawl space, or, basement, but sometimes getting heat to it from below as well can work.
You may also want to have a plumber reroute these pipes to come up from the floor instead of an exterior wall.
If this home is of new construction you may have some recourse under your home warranty. Although it may vary in different states and different plumbing codes. The plumbing codes specify that we run pipes in a manner that they will not freeze but often there is a somewhat grey area where there is a difference between normal temperatures and unusual temperatures. If your temperatures are record setting lows it may be difficult to get recourse. The states vary in their laws and some like Massachusetts have zero tolerance leaving the installing plumber liable for pipes freezing while others let them off the hook.