Every winter many people in the colder climates face the danger of frozen pipes. Naturally construction techniques should be used to minimize the possibility of frozen pipes such as not running pipes in outside walls and through unheated areas, but, even then there is the possibility of a draft through an area that was not sealed or, insulated properly. Quite often too people do things like leave a garage door open for an extended period of time, not thinking about the fact that there is a master bath above the garage with pipes in the garage ceiling and walls. When water freezes, it freezes in a hexagonal form that takes more space than in its liquid state, increasing its volume by about 9%. When a pipe freezes with two separate ice plugs the water in between the two ice plugs can generate pressures far higher than any pipe can contain unless the pipe can stretch without breaking and accommodate this 9 % increase in volume. Water cannot be compressed and the freezing process may generate pressures as high as 40,000 PSI.
When a pipe freezes fast action is necessary to prevent the freezing pipes from bursting. Almost all pipes used for water supply in the home are highly susceptible to bursting with the exception of PEX tubing. PEX is a cross linked polyethylene that has the ability to stretch without damage and contract to it’s original state when the expanding force is removed. This ability lessens the danger of PEX bursting. Other pipes such as copper, CPVC, brass, and galvanized steel cannot expand without splitting. As soon as pipe freezing is recognized by fixtures suddenly losing their water supply, immediate action is required. Hot water supplies often freeze first due to a phenomenon known as the “Mpemba effect.” Turn up the heat, leave the affected faucets open, open doors to areas such as closets, and cabinets, to allow the heat to get into the areas where the pipes are frozen. In unheated areas such as garages and crawlspaces space heaters may be used with caution. If you know the exact location of the freeze a hair dryer is a good way to warm the pipe. Warming the area of the ice plug is the only way to thaw plastic pipes. Every year many people make the mistake of using a torch to attempt to thaw pipes. Many fires are caused by this unsafe act. Do not under any circumstances use a torch to thaw frozen pipes.
If you have metal pipes such as copper, brass, or, galvanized steel you should immediately call a plumber and look for one that has an electric pipe thawing machine. If the plumber says that he doesn’t have a pipe thawing machine but can do it with his torch say no thanks. The Ridge Tool Company makes two excellent pipe thawing machines the Ridgid model KT-190 & KT-200. These machines plug into a regular 120 volt receptacle and lower the voltage very low while increasing the amperage. Lowering the voltage reduces the chances of arcing virtually eliminating the danger of fire and increasing the amperage gives it the ability to produce heat when it flows through a metal pipe. These machines may thaw metal pipes up to 1 ½” in diameter without knowing the exact location of the freeze or having access to it. They will even thaw underground metal water service lines. The plumber merely has to connect the cables to the pipe on each side of the frozen section of the pipe and allow the electrical current to flow through the pipe until the ice melts. This is by far the fastest and safest way to thaw metal pipes.
When you recognize that a specific area of your home has a freezing problem you should talk to the plumber about what steps can be taken to eliminate the freezing problem. Sealing the area that froze from drafts and insulating may help. Sometimes the pipes may need rerouting through safer areas. In open areas electric heat tape properly installed may be a good prevention measure.
One thing to avoid is the old myth of leaving the faucet running slowly to prevent the pipe from freezing. Not only is this a waste of water but it may cause a drain pipe to freeze. Frozen drains are by far the most difficult and expensive pipes to thaw. Most drains are larger than the capacity of electric pipe thawing machines and also many are constructed of materials that do not conduct electricity. The best method of thawing a frozen drain is to use a high pressure water jetter which is not an inexpensive operation. You should also check the plumbing fixtures in your home before the winter season to fix or, replace any dripping faucets or, leaking toilets. Drain lines should always be pitched so they drain dry when not in use. Normal use has water running through in sufficient volume and velocity that it does not cool enough to freeze while in the line. When there is a dripping faucet, leaking toilet or, other low flow into the drain there may not be sufficient volume to prevent it from freezing in your drain line. Drains that are in poor condition where they hold water in bellies or, sags are also susceptible to freezing.
Your home is no different than your car. As the cold weather approaches make sure that you home is in good shape and ready for the cold season. When problems occur, respond to them quickly and make sure that you don’t wait to call a good plumber when you run into problems such as frozen pipes.
I think out pipes froze last night, when i flush the toilets or try to run water nothing is happening. I have no ideal where it would be froze if they are, we just bought this house last week and i am not familiar with the layout. How would I go about thawning the pipes if they are indeed frozen?
Hi Dean,
It does indeed sound like you may have frozen pipes or a water supply related problem.
I have no idea of the construction of your home or its systems.
If you are on a well system the there may be a problem with the well pump check to make sure the pump is on and the circuit breaker has not tripped and pressure is indicated on the gauge. Tap the gauge lightly to make sure it is indicating correctly.
As far as frozen pipes with the arrival of the frozen weather it is certainly possible. I don’t know if you have a basement, crawl space, or a slab foundation but wherever you can get access in a basement or slab pipes could be found for tracing and finding a cold spot where they may be exposed to a draft causing freezing. Try a hair dryer to warm the frozen area or directing a heater into the crawl space. Seeing as everything is off I would advise looking at main water supply lines.
In the event of a slab foundation look for possible freeze areas in the meter box if installed out side, or where the main water supply comes up into a wall of the home. This could be a lot tougher to figure out and you may want a plumber with a electric pipe thawing machine if you have metal pipes.
You may want the plumber with the pipe thawing machine in either case if you have metal pipes and ask him for advice on insulation or possible use of heat tape.
If your pipes are plastic the only thing you can do is warm the area where the pipes are frozen.
Thanks for posting,
I hope this works out for you without any burst pipes,
Redwood
I left my garage door open for a while as I was snowblowing (bout an hour, wife out of town, keeping an eye on the kids playing in the garage of all things). Couple hours later I go to my daughters bathroom directly above the garage and I attempted to turn on the water to the sink, toilet and tub there without success. I put the space heater on under the sink and next to the tub/toilet with a little success. Put the space heater on in the garage where I think the pipes are and now the sink is working fine although hot water only. The toilet and tub will work only when the sink is running, and with only hot water also. The toilet refiller is weak, and the tub will instantly lose all water pressure when I flush the toilet or the sink faucet off. Right now I am continuing to run the space heater in the garage and have the sink/tub set to give out trickling water. I have no idea if the cold water pipe burst, although I have found no signs of a leak after inspecting the bathroom/garage drywall or looking in the basement anywhere although the garage is on the concrete foundation and not over the basement living quarters. Any other advice, tips, etc would be greatly greatly appreciated!!!!
I think I alluded to this but the pipes are not exposed/visible to the naked eye and are concealed by drywall.
Thanks in advance!
Mike
Hi Mike,
It sounds like a classic case of the cold supply freezing up.
The only water you have now is the hot which when you run the faucet back feeds to the toilet and tub.
You want to be very careful and not allow that to happen as the hot water running into a cold toilet can cause it to crack.
This is a problem that many people have with a bathroom over an unheated garage. Its just a bad design!
Get as much heat as possible going into the garage. Space heaters, open doors to the house with fans, whatever it takes to warm that garage up. You may also find where the pipes leave the basement to run up the garage wall to the ceiling and direct the hot air from a hair dryer up that wall if you can. The faster you get this thawed or, prevent more freezing the less likely pipes are to burst.
If you have metal pipes you may want to consider calling a plumber with an electric pipe thawing machine to get the pipes thawed quicker. After the pipes thaw is when you may find the burst pipes, right now the ice isn’t running out of the hole.
In the future you might want to make sure the garage door only opens long enough to get in and out, and you may want to consider putting some form of heat in the garage to run on the coldest days when freezing may occur.
I hope this helps,
Redwood
We live in NW Arkansas & our copper pipes beneath our old house have frozen. There are several crawlspace openings beneath our house that are not sealed off. The copper pipes are not insulated and our home is heated by gas floor heat all. There is a wall gas heater in the bathroom that has been on high for about 24hours now, and the bathroom is steaming hot and there is condensation on the bathtub faucet and it appears as if there has been some water coming out from somewhere. I have all the faucets open so water that might thaw can exit the pipes. Can i put a space heater under such a large open space & expect the pipes to thaw? How can i real off the crawl Space openings to keep the heat under there? Would plasTic bags over the openings work or do i need to get styrofoam? My husband is @ drill this weekend & by the time he will get home it will be very late. It is only 25degrees now and it hasN’t been above freezing for over a week now. It will get down to 5 degRees tonight & this is going on 2 days without water or working toilet. We need 2 do this ourselves to avoid high costs we can’t afford. FlooR heaters will not heat pipes because the house already has poor insulation problems that i was planning on fixing before this. Plz help
Hi Anji,
I would recommend placing Styrofoam in the vent openings and getting some heater(s) going under there to warm up the crawlspace.
I fear though that the condensation in the bathroom may be coming from a burst pipe which is probably leaking water down into the crawl space. You probably do need a plumber if that is the case.
With copper pipes a plumber could use an electric pipe thawing machine and rapidly thaw everything and in addition could fix any leaks.
I too have frozen pipes. I do however believe it is froze somewhere in the supply line coming in. We are in a mobile home and on a well. Under home is well insulated and heat tape is working. Is my pump in danger of burning out while waiting for the ground to thaw? If so what precautions should I take? Also how might I tell if my well pump is working? Thanks Gil..
Hi Gil,
It sounds like you may be frozen up. To figure where your line is frozen depends largely on how it is configured and available points to open sillcocks and drain valves to see where water is available and not available. In some cases a connection may have to be broken to check for water flow then put back together again. Once you narrow down where the water flow from the well stops you are close to finding where the line needs to be thawed.
If your freeze up is in a place where the pressure switch is calling on the pump to run but the water cannot reach the pressure switch and storage tank then the pump is dead-heading and in danger of being damaged if it hasn’t been damaged already. Are you able to tell if the pump is running or, not? Can you tell if water is available at the pressure switch and pressure tank? If you have a submersible pump do you have the electrical skills and test equipment to take measurements and determine if the pump is running and running properly? If not I would consider calling in a pro as soon as possible.
Hi
I seem to have frozen water pipes. I heat with oil, and have forced hot air. Nobody is living there at this time, but I need to correct the problem ASAP. I was told to open the faucets, shut off the main valve of water, and open the cabinets to let the heat get directly to the pipes under the sinks (which I did). My big concern is that does it put my hot water heaters in jeopardy? They are downstairs and little heat gets there. I have conflicting reports. Someone told me as long as the water main is off, it will be ok. Other people say that unless it’s drained, it could freeze the water in the water tanks. Who is correct and how do I fix this problem? I am on a fixed budget, and really don’t want to pay a plumber if it can possibly be helped. Please help!!!
Thank you
Hi Alexandria,
Is this a situation where the heat has been turned off?
Were the water heaters turned off?
In your situation turning off the main valve the cranking up the heat is probably the best start.
Then cracking the main valve slightly open to check for leaks and additional freezing.
Given the time the pipes were frozen without anyone being there it is almost certain you will have some burst pipes and need the services of a plumber.
Thanks for commenting,
Redwood