Extremely Cold Where You Live? Tips To Prevent Frozen Pipes And How They Are Repaired If This Happens

If you live in an area that gets extremely cold, one thing you should be concerned with is your plumbing pipes. They can become frozen, and this will result in expensive repairs if the pipes burst. Below are some tips to prevent this from happening. You will also find information on how frozen pipes are repaired if you have this problem.

Prevent Frozen Pipes

If you have a swimming pool you need to drain it. If you use a water sprinkler system, drain water from the supply lines. Remove garden hoses and drain them if you use them outside. Make sure there is enough insulation in your basement and crawlspace. 

Purchase insulated pipe sleeves to put on exposed pipes. This includes pipes under the cabinets in your kitchen and bathroom. Make sure you place the pipe sleeves on both the cold and hot water pipes. There is also heat tape that you can purchase to put around the exposed plumbing pipes. If the temperature dips well below freezing, turn the cold water faucet on and let the water drip for exposed pipes. Even if this water is at a very slow trickle, this can help keep the pipes from freezing. 

If you have your thermostat set to a lower temperature at night change this to keep the same temperature setting as the daytime setting. 

Frozen Pipe Repair

If your pipes are frozen but not burst, the plumber can apply a heat gun to the pipes to thaw them out. Until the plumber arrives you can use a blow hair driver on a heat setting to start the process. Once the frozen pipes are thawed out the plumber will inspect all of the plumbing in your home to determine why they froze in the first place. For example, you may have a plumbing leak you are not aware of. There may be exposed pipes you are not aware of. 

If the frozen pipes have burst, the first thing you must do is turn off the water supply. Water will come out of the pipes, and you will quickly have inches of water on the floor. Once the water supply has been turned off contact a plumber. You should also contact your insurance company. The plumber may be able to repair the pipes, or they may have to replace the pipes with new ones. You may also have to contact a water restoration company if you had a large flood in your home. 

The plumber can give you many tips on preventing frozen pipes from happening. Contact a company like Right Away to learn more.