CEN FAQs: Thawing Frozen Pipes

The weather storm has left over 3 million Texas homes without power, outages are widespread around the country. Many homes don’t have alternative heating sources, one of the serious consequences may be frozen pipes. There are some steps you can take if your pipes freeze to mitigate the damage.

Usually, the first clue when we discover a pipe is frozen, is when we turn on the faucet and nothing comes out.

Identify the faucets affected and if all of your water sources don’t work the problem is likely with the water line coming into your house.  

Without heat you have limited steps you can take to thaw pipes. Frequently, you would want to use a hair dryer, or other method to bring heat to the pipe to thaw the ice buildup.

The most damage occurs when the house begins to heat up, a frozen pipe has broken, and water begins to flow into your house becoming a major flood. If you have a water shut off valve for the affected area, turn off that valve, but you can continue to draw water in other parts of your home. If not, then you should turn off the master water valve which will keep water from coming into your house. If you need a limited amount of water from time to time simply turn on your water valve, draw the water that you need, and then turn off the valve. Otherwise, when the house thaws, you’ll have water continuously flowing in creating new damage.

Most homes have a way of winterizing or draining the water from the system. Go to the lowest part of your house, such as the basement if you have one, and drain the water out of all your pipes allowing it to run into the basement drainpipe. Don’t forget the water heater. 

When you start thawing your pipes start at the edge of the frozen area as best you can determine, because as the ice melts heat is generated and there will be some expansion. If you start in the middle there may be nowhere for the pressure to go except to burst a pipe.

When the home is warm and you believe the pipes have thawed, check your pipes and walls for possible leaks. If you see no signs of a break or water damage, turn on the water supply slowly while you verify water seems to be flowing correctly and you see no evidence of damage in the house. Frequently, the coldest and therefore most likely areas to be damaged are basements, crawlspaces addicts or garages.

If your pipes break creating water in your house mold will start to build up after 48 hours, depending on the temperature and moisture content. Contact your insurance company and understand what coverage you may have and ask for instructions. Obtaining a damage restoration company in areas of massive damage will become very difficult. You may need to begin to remove some wet drywall and use fans to dry the area as best as possible. Your goal is to dry the property as quickly as possible to prevent mold damage. Despite your best efforts if mold begins to form after the property is dried take this up with your insurance agent as generally coverage will be allowed when drying is unsuccessful. 

Unfortunately, during the current massive freeze gripping most of the nation, getting a plumber to professionally correct any frozen pipes is going to be extremely difficult. If you have frozen pipe damage put your call in immediately, better to wait two weeks than to wait longer by procrastinating.

With frozen pipes all you can do is mitigate the damage, as David did, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. (1Samual 17:45-35) Follow David’s example and minimize any damage.  

If you are dealing with frozen pipes, check out two articles Purifying Drinking Water and Maintaining Emergency Water Storage . Learn more by going to Ready Christian.