You might think that frozen pipes aren’t a problem in the Southwest, but it gets chilly in the desert winters! Homes in the south may not have enough insulation around pipes to prevent a burst pipe when the temperatures dip, and that can lead to major water damage in your home.
Keep it from happening with our frozen pipe prevention service in Bullhead City! Plumbing By Jake will insulate your pipes and give advice on how to keep your external lines free from freezing. And if you have a burst pipe, we can help you repair it.
Winterizing Your Home’s Plumbing
One of the best investments you can make to improve your home’s plumbing is winterizing your pipes. Adding insulation around exposed pipes and investing in spigot covers will go a long way to preventing frozen pipes. Plumbing By Jake can inspect your pipe insulation and add or repair it.
Other things you can do when a cold snap is on its way include:
- Let your faucets drip a tiny amount of water. Moving water is harder to freeze.
- Open your sink cabinets to let warm air in the house reach your piping.
- Keep your home’s thermostat steady and at least 60 degrees.
- Remove and drain any hoses attached to your house.
There are also special spigots built for places where cold temperatures happen often. These can prevent a burst pipe right along your home’s foundation wall. Water damage to your foundation can create an expensive and even dangerous situation if it causes cracking!
How Can I Tell if I Have a Frozen Pipe?
The simplest way is to turn on a faucet after a chilly day. If no water comes out, or only a trickle, there is a frozen part somewhere. The water stream may also stutter as pressure tries to push through the frozen block.
You might also observe frost on the outside of external pipes. This is another sign that your pipes are getting too cold. It may also reveal where the blockage is. If you believe your pipes have frozen, here’s what you need to do.
- Shut off the main water supply for your house
- Shut off the hot water supply
- Turn off the power to your hot water heater
- Drain what water you can from your lines
- Call Plumbing By Jake to free your water line
Should I Thaw My Water Line Myself?
It’s possible, but it could cause more damage. Plumbers have special heaters for warming pipes. It’s important to warm pipes slowly, especially if pressure is built up in the system, to prevent damage to the pipes. Never use an open flame source to warm your pipes!
Another problem is a moving ice slug. When the ice inside gets warm enough, a chunk of it may try to move elsewhere in the pipe. These slugs have the potential of causing another frozen patch or creating internal damage in the pipe. Keep a faucet open while you work to help prevent this.
Hiring our professional plumbers in Bullhead City can save yourself the hassle of thawing your own lines and possibly causing further damage. We’ll come quickly to your home and get your pipes cleared.
What About Sprinklers and Pool Lines?
A burst pipe in a sprinkler or pool line could leak hundreds of gallons of water into your yard each day, creating huge bills. It can also wash dirt and sand into your lines. This is a tough problem to fix, and an expensive one.
It’s difficult to insulate external lines, and the soil in the Southwest is a poor insulator. The best thing you can do when a cold snap comes is to drain these lines completely before they get frozen. This is a good task to do in the fall when the temperatures go down.
If you have a sprinkler, make sure that all the pop-ups are in the off position. Water could leak out, freeze, and crack the heads if they are on. If that happens, you’ll have a sprinkler repair on your list.
A Home Plumbing Maintenance Plan Solves Lots of Problems
Plumbing By Jake recommends an annual inspection of your home’s plumbing every year to maintain parts and inspect for problems. You can add a frozen pipe prevention service to your annual visit. Our inspection will also catch tiny cracks in your pipes that could burst open when they freeze.
Adding insulation to your pipes does more than prevent burst piping. Insulation on your hot water pipes will keep your hot water hot as it travels to your faucet, which means less waiting for hot water and a lower energy bill.
You can combine your plumbing maintenance plan with heating and cooling maintenance through our Total Home Coverage plan. It’s just $20 a month to keep the most important systems in your home working right!
Call Plumbing By Jake for Frozen Pipe Services
A burst pipe is a plumbing emergency. As soon as home materials stay wet for a day, you’re almost certain to have a mold problem. If you don’t know where your shut-off valves are, find out now so you can minimize the damage in an emergency.
If you believe you have a frozen pipe or you have a burst pipe, call Plumbing By Jake for an assessment. We’re available 24/7 for emergency service in Bullhead City. We offer flat-rate estimates for all repairs. Call us for immediate service if your pipes have burst, or schedule online if you need frozen pipe prevention.
