As a relentless winter weather pattern continues to bring blackouts and sub-zero temperatures in dozens of states this week, many Americans may be dealing with frozen pipes.
The water expands as it freezes, which presses on the metal or plastic pipes that can break them.
Many, but not all, houses are built with water pipes nestled in the building’s insulation to protect them from freezing temperatures. However, with extremely low temperatures this week, your home may have weaknesses, making it susceptible to freezing pipes and possible explosion.
Homes in the northern parts of the United States may be less at risk, but those in the east, center of the Atlantic and south may be more subject to pipe freezing. That’s because the further south you go, the more likely a house is to have plumbing without insulation.
“Water pipes in the attic, for example, would be more common in the South,” Remington Brown, senior engineering director at the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, told USA TODAY.
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Also more at risk of freezing are plumbing in basements, garages, walkways, kitchens and other rooms with external walls, such as bathrooms.
If you find that you have a broken pipe, shut off the water at the main shutoff valve, usually found on the water meter or where the main line enters your home, said John Galeotafiore, who oversees testing of household products and electrical equipment for Reporting do Consumidor, which has tips for handling frozen pipes on its website.
After that, check all the other faucets in your home for additional frozen pipes. If one tube freezes, others can freeze as well.
“Their older homes are likely to be more susceptible to this because the insulation was not so good and they may have directed some pipes in places where they probably shouldn’t have been,” said Galeotafiore. “That said, there may be some new construction that people just didn’t do right.”
Here’s how to thaw frozen pipes and prevent them from happening again.
How to defrost pipes
If the flow of water from a tap is slower than normal, it may be that the pipe is frozen. If you can see the affected pipe, try to defrost it to prevent it from breaking. Here’s what to do:
• Leave the tap on and watch the water flow. Running water, even cold water, will help melt the ice in the pipe.
• Use a hair dryer to heat the pipe. “It’s easy to use and safe,” said Brown. “You would start at the tap and work to heat the pipe.”
• You can also use a heating pad, heat lamp or heater in the room where the tube is. Towels soaked in water can also be rolled into the tube. Apply heat to the side closest to the tap, said Galeotafiore, “because if you start on the other side, you can increase the pressure and possibly make the pipe burst”.
• Continue to apply heat until the total water pressure returns.
• If you are unable to find the frozen tube section or are not accessible, call a licensed plumber.
• Do not use a torch, kerosene or propane heater, or any other device with an open flame to try to defrost the tube. “You don’t want to use anything that could catch fire,” said Brown.
How to prevent pipes from freezing
Many houses will have pipes exposed inside their houses, perhaps under the sink, in the garage or in the attic. There are ways to prevent them from freezing.
• Wrap the tube with improvised insulation. A quick fix is to use newspaper or towels, said Anthony Tornetta, a spokesman for the American Red Cross, who has tips for preventing and defrosting frozen pipes on his website. “If you can add isolation to these areas, this is the first line of defense,” he said. “As little as a quarter inch wrapped around the tube will help, especially if you are in areas that will not freeze for a long period of time. This is a deep freeze, but it will pass.”
• Open cupboards in the kitchen or bathroom that can have pipes near the outside of the house. “This allows warmer air inside the house to flow through the cabinet to prevent the pipes from freezing,” said Tornetta.
• Keep your home warm to prevent the pipes from freezing. Do not lower the temperature at night at home during cold weather, says Galeotafiore. “That sounds counterintuitive to what we used to say about energy conservation, but you have to do that because if you have a broken pipe, there could be thousands of dollars in damage,” he said.
• Use space heaters safely. If you use it to defrost a pipe or to maintain a warm environment, make sure it is not close to anything flammable, such as curtains, blankets or those towels that you may be using in the pipes. “It’s a great resource for heating your home, but you should use it wisely,” said Tornetta.
• Constantly run a small stream of water from the taps that can have pipes susceptible to freezing. “If the house is heated and you turn on the taps and open the cabinet doors, even if you are in a very, very cold environment, it must be a very good solution,” said Brown.
• If you are not going to be home, ask someone to regularly check your property to make sure the heat is working and the tubes have not frozen.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
This story was originally published in USA TODAY in January 2019.
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This article was originally published in USA TODAY: How to defrost pipes: leave the tap running, other tips in the middle of the Texas storm