Translating…
Frozen pipes during the winter season can cause big burdens to any household plumbing system and the process of fixing them is quite tiring or even costly if you let it be handled by a professional plumber. Keep in mind that when the water freezes and expands on a pipe, the tendency is it will create a crack that will cause the water to burst out from the pipe and cause tremendous water damage inside your house resulting to high cost for the repair and replacement of damaged fixtures or furniture. However, this terrible scenario can be prevented if you know how to fix frozen pipes even without calling the assistance of a specialist.
Once you have noticed that water is starting to freeze over the pipes in your plumbing system then you should take some immediate actions so damage on the pipes will be stopped. If you have observed that the problem is not on its worst level so far and there’s no visible damage yet on the pipe then just simply thaw the ice buildup. Thawing the ice can be easy especially if the pipe is not totally frozen. Nevertheless, it is not totally advisable that you use a flame torch when thawing the frost on the pipe; This is the common mistake of some people as if not properly handled can cause fire to the house. Although the heat produced by the flame torch is fairly enough to thaw the ice but this should be done with maximum caution and utmost carefulness.
In thawing frozen pipes, the first step is to close the valve from the outside water source then open the faucet. If the water will come out for drops or nothing at all then it is an implication of a frozen pipe. It is suggested that you thaw the ice from end to end, don’t focus just on the middle area because the pressure from the trapped steam may cause the pipe to burst. Normally, frozen pipe occurs on places where there’s no enough accumulation of heat like in outside walls or crawl spaces, so it is better to start on these areas.
The most common and easiest way to thaw pipes to get rid of the ice is with the use of hot water and a towel. The towel should be heavy enough to hold the hot water then wrap it on the area of the frozen pipe. Pour the hot water on the towel covering the pipe and continue doing this until the ice completely melted. Don’t forget to place a bucket underneath the pipe that will get hold of the excess water. Furthermore, you can also use a hair dryer in thawing the ice but the process can be slower than using hot water. In the absence of hair dryer, you can use heat lamp as the source of heat then you can continue in thawing. These are just few of the techniques in fixing frozen pipes at home and always considering your safety before performing the task.