Tips on how to thaw frozen pipes
Locations that are the most susceptible to freezing
Pipes in an outside wall
Under a sink, on an outside wall
In an unheated crawlspace
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.
BEWARE of the unexpected cold snap! Frozen water pipes are a serious risk during a very cold winter. When a pipe bursts it can spill up to several hundred gallons of water per hours, and that equates to thousands of dollars of damage to your home.
Pipe Thawing Preparation
When pipes are frozen, you turn on your faucet and no water comjes out or just a trickle you need to take immediate action.
* Open the faucet that is supplied by the frozen pipe even if you do not know where the pipe
is actually frozen.
* Identify the frozen water supply pipe and if possible find where the blockage may be.
Hair Dryer
One of the best and safest ways to thaw the pipe is to heat the area with a high power hair dryer. Again, make sure to open the faucet and then heat the pipe working back from the faucet toward the frozen
blockage. Also, if the pipe is close to the wall, place a cookie sheet behind the pipe to help radiate heat onto the back side of the pipe.
Heat Lamp
A heat lamp can work well to heat an exposed pipe. You can use an infrared or incandescent heat lamp. As before, if the pipe is close to the wall, use a cookie sheet behind the pipe to help reflect heat onto the pipe.
Small Portable Blowing Heater
If you have one of those small powerful heaters they work great when warming pipes under a kitchen or vanity base cabinet. Direct the heater onto the frozen section of pipe.
Electric Heating Tape for Pipes
Another technique is to use electric heat tape. This is a ribbon type wrap that has electrical heating elements in it. You wrap it around the pipe you want to heat, and plug it into the wall. The temperature is controlled
with a thermostat and the heat tape heats the pipe.
http://homerepair.about.com
Pipes in an outside wall
Under a sink, on an outside wall
In an unheated crawlspace
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.
BEWARE of the unexpected cold snap! Frozen water pipes are a serious risk during a very cold winter. When a pipe bursts it can spill up to several hundred gallons of water per hours, and that equates to thousands of dollars of damage to your home.
Pipe Thawing Preparation
When pipes are frozen, you turn on your faucet and no water comjes out or just a trickle you need to take immediate action.
* Open the faucet that is supplied by the frozen pipe even if you do not know where the pipe
is actually frozen.
* Identify the frozen water supply pipe and if possible find where the blockage may be.
Hair Dryer
One of the best and safest ways to thaw the pipe is to heat the area with a high power hair dryer. Again, make sure to open the faucet and then heat the pipe working back from the faucet toward the frozen
blockage. Also, if the pipe is close to the wall, place a cookie sheet behind the pipe to help radiate heat onto the back side of the pipe.
Heat Lamp
A heat lamp can work well to heat an exposed pipe. You can use an infrared or incandescent heat lamp. As before, if the pipe is close to the wall, use a cookie sheet behind the pipe to help reflect heat onto the pipe.
Small Portable Blowing Heater
If you have one of those small powerful heaters they work great when warming pipes under a kitchen or vanity base cabinet. Direct the heater onto the frozen section of pipe.
Electric Heating Tape for Pipes
Another technique is to use electric heat tape. This is a ribbon type wrap that has electrical heating elements in it. You wrap it around the pipe you want to heat, and plug it into the wall. The temperature is controlled
with a thermostat and the heat tape heats the pipe.
http://homerepair.about.com