As we head into the seriously cold weather of the winter, a concern you may have about your plumbing (and a concern you should have) is pipe freeze. We’ve previously written about what causes frozen pipes to burst, and it’s definitely something you want to watch out for. We recommend taking precautions now to help prevent pipe freeze, such as disconnecting outside hoses, insulating hose bibs, and checking to see that exposed pipes have insulation sleeves.
What do you do, however, when you do end up with frozen pipes? We have some advice on what you shouldn’t do…
Don’t…
- Use any type of space heater, kerosene heater, or acetylene torch to attempt to thaw out the pipe. For one thing, this may cause the pipe to burst because of the sudden increase in pressure. For another, it’s potentially dangerous.
- Use a hair dryer to thaw the pipes. Not only will this not be enough heat to thaw the pipes, but there’s also an electrocution damage potential.
- Ignore it. Pipe freeze is something that needs to be fixed ASAP!
But what should you do?
Do…
- Call for professional plumbers. This is one of our fields of expertise, and we can have frozen pipes fixed fast and without danger of bursting.
- Open up the faucet at the end of a frozen pipe. This will help relieve the pressure within the pipe and make a burst pipe much less likely.
Once the pro lumbers arrive, they’ll be able to take over the job from there. They’ll also help you with advice and installations that will help prevent more frozen pipes in the future.
You have great plumbers available in Potomac, MD to help you out when pipe freeze strikes! Our plumbers are ready to help you 24-hours a day for any plumbing emergency.
Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.