How To Deal With Frozen or Burst Pipes

These bitterly cold temperatures can be brutal, causing havoc in your home and how you get around.   One of our clients found out first thing this morning what the frigid weather can do. "I went to turn the water on to make some coffee and there was no water. There was nothing, not even a trickle," she said. 

Thankfully, we were able to come to the rescue and save her from disaster.  Not all stories end happily though.  There have been many instances this winter where pipes have burst and caused several thousands of dollars of damage.

Sadly, the cold weather snap we're currently experiencing is expected to last a bit longer.

While we're all patiently waiting for spring to arrive, it's important to be prepared in the event you have to deal with a frozen or burst water pipe.

If a pipe freezes, act quickly but carefully to thaw the pipe before it bursts.

Warning - Never use a torch or flame to try to melt an ice clog.

Pipes usually freeze where they are closest to outside walls. The most susceptible to freezing are those running through unheated areas such as crawl spaces or inside vanities on outside walls.

Once the water freezes in the pipe, the water flow will be cut off.  If the blockage is not removed promptly, the ice can expand and split the pipe.

If the pipe bursts, shut off the nearest upstream water valve.  If you can't find a valve close to the leak, shut off the main water valve.  The broken pipe will have to be soldered or replaced. You must be the judge of whether you're able to fix the pipe yourself or if you need to call a plumber.

Thawing A Frozen Pipe Behind a Wall

When you find that the frozen pipe serving the faucet is behind a wall or ceiling, you've got a challenge on your hands. You have three choices:

• Turn up the heat in the house and wait;
• Tear out the wall or ceiling section to get at the frozen section of pipe. Then thaw the pipe as an exposed pipe;
• Use an infrared lamp or lamps to assist in heating the wall section in front of where you think the frozen section is located. Infrared lamps are better than regular heat lamps because they pass through the air without heating it and will direct more energy to warming the wall and frozen pipe.

Thawing An Exposed Frozen Pipe

If the frozen pipe is exposed, then you have several options available but first here are some notes to remember - when working on thawing the pipe leave the main water valve open (near your water meter) and remember to heat the pipe from the faucet toward the frozen area. This way, the water can flow out as the ice melts and the water pressure in the pipe will force the ice out once it melts sufficiently.

Hair Dryer

One of the best and safest ways to thaw the pipe is to heat the area with a hair dryer.  Again, make sure to open the faucet and then heat the pipe working back from the faucet toward the frozen blockage.  If the pipe is fairly close to the wall, place a cookie sheet behind it to help radiate heat onto the back side of the pipe.

Heat Lamp

A heat lamp works well to heat an exposed pipe. You can use an infrared or incandescent heat lamp.  As noted above, if the pipe is close to the wall, use a cookie sheet behind it to help reflect heat.

Small Portable Heater

If you have a small portable heater – direct it at the frozen section of the pipe.

Electric Pipe Heat Tape

Another technique is to use electric heat tape (a ribbon style wrap with electrical heating elements inside).  Wrap it around the pipe and plug it into the wall. The temperature is controlled with a built-in thermostat.  As a bonus, you can leave the heat tape on the pipe, plug it in when needed to prevent the pipe freezing in the future.

Note:  If water starts leaking from a pipe after it gets warmer, the pipe has burst from the pressure of expanding ice.  You'll need to shut off the water to the broken pipe as quickly as possible to minimize water damage.  Again, you'll have to be the judge of whether you're able to fix the pipe yourself or call a plumber.

Prevention:

To prevent freezing, try to keep the pipes warm. Open vanities under sinks and raise the temperature in areas with exposed pipes by turning up your thermostat or using a space heater.

If pipes leading to a particular faucet often freeze, turn on the cold tap so water trickles continuously during extremely cold weather.

Insulating wraps for water pipes near outside walls can help, but a plumber may have to move pipes installed in areas that are too vulnerable to the cold.

If you leave your house for an extended time during the winter, don't turn your heating system all the way off. Set the thermostat at about 15 degrees Celsius and make sure all the storm windows are sealed tight to keep the heat in. Open the doors of all vanities so warm air circulates around the pipes under your sinks.  Consider leaving a key to your home with a family member or trusted neighbour who can routinely check your home for issues while you're away.