Avoid Frozen Pipes

What to do if your pipes freeze

By Hannah Brennan

Pipes burst when they freeze, which can flood your home. It is important to take precautions to prevent an emergency from taking place when it is cold outside. Reportedly, there were over 18,000 homeowners with burst or cracked pipes in Texas in 2021.

Why do pipes freeze?

Temperatures below 20℉ → Even though water freezes at 32℉, the water inside plumbing pipes is better protected than water outside. Most pipes freeze when outside temperatures reach lower than 20℉.

Unheated interior places → Spaces like your attic and basement typically have pipes, but aren’t exposed to the heat in your home to keep them warm. This is where most pipes burst during a freeze.

Exterior Walls → Pipes with insulation, like inside your home behind walls, are more protected against the cold. Therefore, faucets and pipes near your home’s exterior or on the outer walls are more at risk to freeze and burst.

How to prevent your pipes from freezing?

Add insulation to unheated interior spaces → You can add more insulation to your pipes in places like your attic and basement as an added layer of protection.

Seal up cracks on exterior walls → Cracks in your wall can expose your pipes to the cold, even inside your home. Seal the cracks in your home to shield your home.

Open your cabinets → Open your interior cabinets near pipes to expose these pipes to heating to keep them warm.

Insulate the pipes → You can wrap your pipes with regular towels to keep them warm and prevent freezing.

Drip water from your faucets → Allow your faucets to drip a bit to keep the movement of water. This is especially important to do overnight during the coldest time.

What to do if your pipes freeze?

Shut off your water → Immediately find your main water supply valve and turn it off. If you can’t find the location of your main water supply valve, call your utility company’s emergency phone number to assist you in locating it.

Try to find the frozen pipe → As we noted earlier, your frozen pipe is probably in the basement, attic, crawl space, or exterior wall. Look around to locate the frozen pipe. (You will likely see frost around the outside of the pipe).

Open the faucets connected to the frozen pipe → Doing this will relieve pressure on the parts of the pipe that aren’t frozen.

Check for leaks around the pipe → If you see the pipe is burst or cracked, call Malek Service Company immediately.

Attempt to thaw → You can try to use a hair dryer or space heater to thaw the frozen pipe. Do not use an open flame to thaw the pipe.

A frozen pipe can lead to big issues for your home plumbing system. Call one of our certified plumbers to assist in repairing your frozen pipes.

Is it time to repair your plumbing pipes? Read this blog to find out!