Frozen water pipes are a serious risk during very cold winter weather. When water freezes in a pipe, it expands and can exert pressure at over 2,000 pounds per square inch. This pressure is enough to rupture almost any pipe filled with water, which provides no place for the ice to expand. A burst pipe can spill several hundred gallons of water per hour, and that equates to thousands of dollars of damage to your home. Pipes are most susceptible to freezing and causing water damage when they are located:
If your pipe is frozen but not yet ruptured, you must thaw it right away. There are a few thawing techniques to try, depending on where the frozen pipe is located.
Warning: Never use a blow torch or other open flame to thaw a pipe. This presents a serious fire hazard and can damage the pipe.
First signs of a frozen pipe
A frozen pipe that hasn’t burst yet often reveals itself at a faucet: when you turn on the faucet and no water comes out or it has slowed to a trickle, there’s probably a blockage of ice somewhere in the line. It’s time take immediate action:
1) SHUT OFF water to the faucet locally or at the home’s main water shutoff valve.
2) Open the faucet that is supplied by the frozen pipe; do this even if you don’t know where the blockage is.
3) Identify the frozen pipe and locate the blockage: Follow the pipe back from the faucet to where it runs through cold areas, such as an exterior wall or unheated crawl space. Look for areas of the pipe that have frost or ice; it may also be slightly bulged or fissured.
24Restore’s highly trained team and state of the art equipment in Minneapolis is a phone call away if you find yourself with a frozen pipe. We are the only call you will have to make, we will handle it all to ease the stress.
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