It doesn’t take long for pipes to freeze in the Southwest. Most homes do not have insulated pipes in this region because it freezes so rarely. When it does, it could leave you with a colossal mess, but we can fix it and prevent it from happening in the future.
If you live in Golden Valley, call Plumbing By Jake and ask for a frozen pipes prevention service. We will winterize your home’s piping and explain how to keep your external lines clear during hard freezes. If you already have a burst pipe, shut off the water and then call us to repair it.
Preparing Your Home’s Plumbing for Winter
Just like people need to wear warmer clothes in winter, your pipes also need to be dressed for the weather. Pipe insulation, spigot covers, and removing drafts from your home can prevent ice from forming inside your pipes.
Plumbing By Jake’s frozen pipe prevention service will inspect your home’s system for cold vulnerability. We’ll install pipe insulation for you and discuss home improvements you can make to keep cold air away from your pipes.
Our team will also inspect your external lines for vulnerabilities. Sprinkler and pool lines can break without your knowledge if they get frozen. You may not know it until you’ve received a huge water bill. If you don’t know how to drain those lines for the winter, we’ll show you how it’s done.
Why Frozen Pipes Are Bad for Your Home
When water freezes, it expands inside your pipe. This puts pressure on the walls of your pipes, but not just at the frozen spot! A block in the middle of the pipe will build up pressure between your water main and the frozen point. This pressure, plus a weakened pipe, will cause it to burst.
Even a small crack in your pipe can leak hundreds of gallons of water into your home each day. If it happens in a wall, it may be invisible until you see water stains or feel a wet spot on the flooring. Or a soft one. In the worst cases, you could get significant mold growth inside your home.
A broken pipe is a plumbing emergency, and that means you need a professional to check your system. Call Plumbing By Jake at the number on your screen for emergency plumbing services in Golden Valley.
If You Have a Frozen Pipe
If you turn on the faucet and only a little (or no) water comes out, or you hear funny rattling or spurting as the water flows, you could have a frozen pipe in your house. Here’s what to do if this happens in your home.
First, shut off the main water supply completely and drain what water you can from the cold water line. Then, turn off the water supply for your hot water heater and shut off the power to the heater. Then drain the hot water line.
If you can see your external pipes, look for spots where the pipe is frosted or has ice on it. That’s a point where your plumbing might be frozen. There could be multiple spots, and not all of them will be in external pipes, but finding what you can before you call will make the repair faster.
Finally, call Plumbing By Jake to have us unfreeze your pipes. We’ll make sure the job is done right so you’ll have flowing water again in no time!
Can I Thaw My Own Pipes?
Sometimes homeowners want to try to thaw their pipes on their own. This can be dangerous to your home’s plumbing if you don’t know what you’re doing, and you have to locate where the frozen part of the pipe is.
If you can tell where it is, and you want to thaw it yourself, try the following steps:
- Follow all the instructions for what to do if you have a frozen pipe.
- Turn off electricity in the area where you’ll be working in case of a leak
- If there is a gas line near the frozen part, do not defrost it on your own. Call a plumber to do it for you.
- Turn on a faucet, then warm the frozen part of the pipe up with a gentle heat source like a hair dryer. Never use an open flame on pipes!
- Touch the pipe every so often. If the pipe feels too hot to touch, the pipe is too hot. Let it cool down. Hot plastic pipes can melt and grow weak. Hot copper pipes can heat the liquid water in the pipe to boiling and create a dangerous situation.
- Once you think the pipe is unfrozen, turn the water back on halfway and check for any leaks in all the plumbing you can see.
- If everything looks okay, turn the water all the way on. Check for good pressure in all your lines. If there is still a blocked pipe, trace the pipe back to locate the next frozen point.
Instead of doing all of this yourself, why not call Plumbing By Jake? We can use specialized tools to fix your pipe and do an inspection for any plumbing problems that could come up in the future. Our annual inspection plans keep your home’s plumbing in top shape.
Protect Your Pipes with Plumbing By Jake
If you need a plumber to fix a frozen pipe in Golden Valley or make sure your pipes never freeze with a pipe winterization service, the team to call is Plumbing By Jake. We’re well known in the community for our fair up-front pricing and our expert service technicians.
To make an appointment, call us anytime, 24/7, or use our online scheduling system. We’ll be glad to help you with any problems you have with your plumbing, including frozen and burst pipes.
