Frozen pipe. Leak.

Winter-spring water leak in a water supply line system

Frozen water pipes are a serious risk during very cold winter weather. Frozen water exerts pressure of thousands of pounds per square inch on a pipe and can easily burst it, causing flooding and major damage to your home.

Winter is near and NOW! Plumber on his way to help you to prevent your pipes from freezing

Which pipes are in danger of freezing and why? Plumber answers

What happens to the pipe when it freezes - Plumber warns

The water in pipes could potentially freeze when the temperature falls below 32 Fahrenheit/0 Celsius. When water freezes it expands and takes up additional space; this puts pressure on the walls of the pipe what can cause it to crack or burst resulting in an emergency plumbing. Subsequently you are faced with a mess, expenses and aggravation caused by frozen pipes.

By preparing ahead, you can prevent frozen pipes and avoid an expensive plumbing repair. Plumbers recommend you to take preventative measures now - so that you may avoid FROZEN PIPES this winter. According to the plumbers' experience, pipes are most susceptible to freezing when located:

Pipes that are located in unheated areas of the house such as attic, basement, crawl space and even the garage are subjected to freezing. As well as pipes that run along poorly insulated exterior walls and also pipes that run outside of the house, for example the spigots for the garden hose also known as a tap or faucet, are exposed to the elements and freeze when the temperature plummets.

Pipes also often freeze where plumbing runs through passes open, drafty or broken windows, or is in an outside wall that is poorly insulated or where pipes have not been wrapped with heating cables. Hot water pipes can be in danger of freezing and should also be winterised because the cold air can travel up the pipe causing the water inside to freeze causing an ice blockage.

Take the time to prepare your pipes and if you are not sure what to do or how to do it, call Anta Plumbing in Toronto at 416-231-3331 or Oakville location at 905-332-1230 to book an appointment with a licensed plumber or send us an email to info@antaplumbing.com

In the situation where your pipe is frozen but not yet ruptured, you need to promptly thaw it out. There are a few thawing techniques.

NOTE: Never use a flame torch because of the fire hazard it creates. Open flame torches are the most common cause of pipe thawing related home fires.

Water pipe may freeze even if you have taken precautions, warn plumbers. Perhaps you lost electrical power for several hours, the temperature inside your house fell and the pipes froze. Or maybe you left on vacation, turned down the heat and weren't expecting an early blizzard.

Plumbers recommend - frozen pipes prevention

Here are some simple but important plumbing tips from frozen pipes prevention plumbing experts which may prevent freezing and expensive emergency plumbing repair.

Start by insulating ALL water pipes - plumbers insist. Foam tubes, which are designed to fit around the water pipes, make it less possible for the pipes to freeze.

ELECTRIC HEATING TAPE is commonly wrapped around water pipes that run along the exterior walls. It is also very important to line fiberglass insulation between the pipes for added protection from freezing.

RUN WATER THROUGH PIPES. One more plumbers' tip to prevent pipes from freezing is to turn on several faucets and keep the water moving flowing slowly through the pipes. This will also help to prevent the main pipe, which runs into the house, from freezing.

NO HEAT IN THE HOUSE? Plumbers advise you to drain the water out of the pipes to prevent freezing which can cause pipes to burst. How to do it? Turn off the water supply using the main valve, usually located at the point where the water supply enters the home. Then, run all of the home's faucets and showers until the water stops flowing; also in the fall turn off the valve that supplies the water to the outdoors and drain the pipes that feed exterior water spigots.

Thaw pipes when it happened - Plumbers' tips

Homeowners need to make sure that all hoses attached to outside faucets are removed, the pipes drained and the shut-off valve controlling the water flow to the outside is turned off.

Move quickly: Thaw pipes as soon as possible after you discover they are frozen.

Leave the water on: Leave the main water supply valve open. Incoming water pressure will help remove loosened ice.

Work back to the water source: Start thawing at the faucet and work toward the source.

When thawing your pipes, use one of these safe methods:

Hair dryer or heat gun: Either can be used to blow warm air directly on to the suspected frozen area.

Heat lamp: Point an infrared lamp directly at the suspected frozen area. For added efficiency, put a piece of sheet metal or aluminum foil behind the pipe while heating.

Heating cable: Wrap a heating cable around the pipe in the suspected frozen area.

Safety is a major issue, and many home fires have been started by people trying to thaw pipes with the wrong gear.