When temperatures stay low for an extended length of time, there is a risk that the pipes in your home may freeze. If this happens, it has the potential to cause major damage to your home. This is because when water freezes it expands. This expansion puts a lot of pressure on the pipes and can cause them to burst.
The pipes that are most likely to freeze are those that are exposed to the outside. This would include outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, sprinkler lines, and pipes located in unheated interior areas like the basement, crawl spaces, attic, garage, and kitchen cabinets. Pipes that run against exterior walls are also subject to freezing.
To protect your pipes from freezing, follow the tips below.
If there is frost present on the pipe or if no water is coming out of the faucet, there is a good chance that the pipe is frozen.
If it turns out that a pipe has frozen, there are a few things you can do to thaw it out and avoid a serious problem.
NOTE: Do not use open flame devices to thaw a pipe, as this could cause them to break.
If you’re unable to get water to come out of the pipe, call Arrowhead Plumbing. We’ll find where the ice is lodged and fix the problem for you.
If a pipe does happen to burst, you should immediately shut off the water at the main valve. If the broken pipe is a hot water pipe, you should also close off the top valve on the water heater.
After you’ve stopped the water from flowing, contact Arrowhead Plumbing. We have the tools and experience to fix and clean up the mess.