We’ve been dealing with extremely frigid temperatures over the last week here in the Rock Hill and Lancaster, SC area – and winter’s barely begun! Hopefully you’ve taken steps to protect your pipes. But if you didn’t and you discover that you have frozen pipes, it’s important that you keep calm and take the right steps to thaw them safely. Here are some tips from 1st Choice Plumbing on how to thaw frozen pipes:
- Use a hair dryer – First, try the classic technique of thawing a pipe with a hair dryer. This step requires a bit of patience (and maybe an extension cord), but it’s quite an efficient way to warm up a pipe.
- Wrap the pipe in a heating pad – Another great method to thaw out frozen pipes is to wrap them in heating pads. These devices act like blankets, directly applying heat onto pipe to melt any frozen water.
- Heat until the pressure returns – It’s important that you continue to apply heat until your water pressure is restored. This will ensure that your pipe is completely back to normal. Slightly frozen pipes can still cause damage, and will freeze again at a rapid rate.
- Check all pipes – Finally, if you do have a frozen pipe, check the rest of your pipes. If one is frozen, you can usually assume that others may be, too.
If you have a frozen pipe and are unsure of what to do, don’t take a chance – call 1st Choice Plumbing and let us help. Our plumbers can help with this and all other plumbing services in Rock Hill or Lancaster, SC.