Ways to deal with Frozen Pipes

When water is kept in a pipe and allowed to freeze, it causes the pipe to burst. The burst in the pipes causes the water to escape and cause serious damaging results. This is a common phenomenon in winter in almost every house and organization where pipes are present. Hence it is important to make sure that the frozen pipes are thawed so as to prevent this disaster. The basic principle behind this problem is not the expansion of ice against the wall of the pipe, rather it is the increase in the expansion inside the pipe that increases the pressure downstream between the faucet and the blockage part.

This phenomenon depends upon the geographical weather conditions as well. In the places of northern climates, the pipes are built within the house insulation so as to prevent any form of excess formation of ice due to contact of the pipes with the cold freezing weather. Water pipes at houses in the southern climates however are situated at the unprotected outside areas of the building making them more vulnerable and prone to frozen pipes damages.

There are a few basic ways to stop frozen pipes phenomenon which are mentioned as follows:

• It is essential to open the faucet so that the steam that is produced from the thawing can be allowed to escape.
• The thawing process should be initiated at the faucet and worked backwards towards the blockage. The melted ice flows out of the pipe through the open faucet. The reason why one should start the thawing process from the faucet rather than the middle of the pipe is because there are a number of chances that the steam generated might get trapped and won’t be able to escape causing the pipe to crack and burst.

The process of thawing can be done in a number of ways as found convenient. The list of ways of performing the thawing process is mentioned below.

• Use of hot water is one of the most basic and safest ways of thawing frozen pipes. A heavy towel or even a bag can be wrapped around the pipe at intervals and the heat is allowed to flow through the pipe and melt the ice inside.
• Use of propane torch is a much less messier option but it does have certain safety measures and precautions that need to be followed. Care should be taken to see that the heat from the nozzle does not impact or damage the wall behind the pipe which may cause further problems.
• A heat lamp or hair dryer can be made use of if an individual wants to have an option between the above mentioned two. This not only helps to melt the ice quickly, but also prevents the frozen pipes from any further damage.

Frozen pipes should be taken care of immediately and there should not be any delay as it only increases the damaging effect and in turn creates greater problems for an individual.