Being prepared and informed may help you to avoid the messy and often unfortunate issue of frozen pipes. Yakima Water Solutions provides information and suggestions around how to prevent water pipes in the home from freezing, and how to thaw them if they do freeze. Remember, thawing frozen pipes is best handled by professionals due to the level of danger and tools involved. The key is prevention.
WHEN TEMPERATURES STAY BELOW FREEZING
Give Pipes a Helping Hand
If pipes run through cabinets or vanities, open the doors to let warmer room temperatures flow in. Plumbing fixtures and pipes along outside walls are more susceptible to freezing, even in the crawl space or basement.
Don’t let cold air get in! Sealing cracks, crevices and any possible sources for cold air is crucial. Often times basements and crawl spaces have vents or other area’s that let cold air in. These can be sealed before the cold weather hits to help prevent problems.
Foam pipe insulation is a cheap and effective way to give your pipes a chance. This is inexpensive and can be found at your local hardware store. Heat tape (when used properly) is another effective way to prevent frozen pipes.
Keep Water Working
Keep water moving through the pipes by allowing a small trickle of water to run. The cost of the extra water is typically lower than the cost of repairing a broken pipe. Remember, water pipes can freeze underground as well so letting the faucet trickle can help prevent these pipes from freezing too!
IF YOUR PIPES DO FREEZE
Shut off the water immediately
Do not attempt to thaw pipes without turning off the main shut off valve. If you are on well water this can be as easy as shutting off the power to the pump in an electrical panel. There may also be a shut-off in the house, in the basement/crawlspace or in the pump house if you have one. If you are on a community well there is usually someone you can contact who knows where water shut-offs are located for your house.
If you are on city water you may have a shut-off inside the house or in the basement/crawlspace. You can also call your local municipality to shut your water off at the meter. Yakima Water Solutions does not recommend attempting this yourself as it’s prohibited. Please call your municipality.
Thaw Pipes With Warm Air
You can melt the frozen water in the pipe by warming the air around it with a hair dryer or space heater. Be sure not to leave space heaters unattended and avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open flames. This is useful if you know what section or area of pipe is frozen. Often times it’s multiple sections of frozen pipe contributing to the problem. Tracking this down can be extremely difficult or impossible.
Something else to think about…
Did you know that your water softener, filtration equipment and other water related equipment runs the risk freezing too? Every winter we replace equipment that has frozen and burst or has left the equipment unusable. Your water softener resin and other filtration media can sometimes be ineffective once it has frozen.
The most common items we replace are:
- Water Softeners
- Automatic Filtration Equipment
- Well Water Pumps/Boosters
- Well Water Pressure Tanks
- Water Holding Tanks
- Filter Housings for sediment, carbon, etc.
Taking preventative steps to make sure your water treatment equipment doesn’t freeze is just as important as the water pipes.