Frozen Pipes: Beginner Tips for Dealing with Them

A costly risk most Toronto homeowners face in coming colder months is freezing water pipes. Having frozen pipes definitely disturbs everything around the home and it will feel that your whole life is in disarray. This does not necessarily have to be true.  At Everest Drain and Plumbing, we provide frozen pipe repairs and pipe thawing services for Toronto homeowners. As such, we have gathered some tips and advice on what you can do to avoid frozen pipes. Also included are tips for what to do if your pipes have already frozen up.

How to Avoid Frozen Pipes

• Wrap your pipes in your basement or crawl spaces with heat tape or insulated sleeves
• If your water heater is located in a cold area, especially tucked away in your basement, you should consider an insulated blanket to put over it.
• Make sure all of your heating vents are open and furniture is not blocking the heat flow
• Keep a slow trickle of water flowing through your faucets—especially the faucets connected to pipes that run through unheated or unprotected spaces
• Keep your cabinet doors and pantry door open to allow warmer air to circulate around pipes in your kitchen and bathroom.
• Make sure to keep your thermostat set at the same temperature during the day and night. If you’re leaving town for an extended time, set your thermostat to at least 55 degrees.

Pipes are frozen: What Next?

• Locate the general area where the pipe has frozen. Typically this will be anywhere against your exterior wall or where your water service enters your home through the foundation.
• Make sure you keep your faucets open. Once the pipe begins to thaw, water will begin to flow. Running water through a pipe will help melt the ice.
• If you’re able to, try to apply heat to the section of the pipe using a heating pad, hair dryer, or a portable space heater.

If these simple tips and tricks are not helpful enough to solve your frozen pipe problems, call professional Everest Drain and Plumbing. As a Toronto plumber, we are available 24/7 at 416-383-7378.

• Frozen water pipe
• Plumbing Issues