When winter hits the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, for many homeowners it brings with it frozen pipes. Depending on how you handle them, frozen pipes can range from an annoyance to a costly problem. Before the next winter weather hits, find out what to do when your pipes are frozen.
There are actually a number of ways you can try to unfreeze your pipes. If at any point you don't feel comfortable trying to unfreeze your pipes by yourself, contact a professional. Before starting to thaw your pipes, take some basic precautions. First, identify any bulges or cracks that indicate where a leak will occur. Second, put towels or old rags on the floor around the area where the pipe is frozen. If the pipe starts leaking, this will catch the water. Third, turn off the water to the house to minimize the amount of water that might leak. Finally, start any method of thawing your pipes at the faucet. This ensures that the water that results from melting the ice in your pipe doesn't get trapped behind another section of frozen pipe. One popular method for unfreezing pipes involves hot water. Turn on the faucet so any water or steam has an outlet. Wrap the frozen pipe in a heavy towel. Put a container under the pipe to capture the water you're about to pour on the towel. Use hot or boiling water and pour it on the pipe starting at the faucet. Repeat until the pipe is unfrozen. Another option is to use a hair dryer or a heat lamp on the faucet. Although this will take some time, it will eventually thaw the pipe out. Again, start at the faucet and work your way back. You can also use electric heat tape to thaw your pipes. Make sure that you don't wrap the tape back around itself when applying it to the pipe to avoid having the tape overheat and start a fire. For more information about how to deal with frozen pipes or any other HVAC matters, contact Russell's Heating & Cooling. We've proudly served the Hampton Roads area since 1977. Our goal is to help educate our customers in Chesapeake, Virginia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about frozen pipes and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide. Image courtesy of Shutterstock