You undoubtedly always hear what you are supposed to do to prevent your pipes from freezing or bursting, but what do you do if they do freeze or burst? Depending on whether your pipes are just frozen or they actually failed, you will need to do the following to save your home from further damage.
Frozen Pipe
In order to fix this situation you probably already guessed it: you need to thaw out the pipe, and the sooner the better. However that does not mean you should grab a blowtorch. Below are some techniques for thawing pipes:
Once Again, DO NOT use a blowtorch to thaw your pipes; it will do more damage then good.
A heat gun may be used, but exercise extreme caution not to ignite any paper or wood near your pipes. Do not hold the heat gun in one spot; you need to move it back and forth to gradually bring up the temperature.
Cover or rub your pipes with warm rags, this will allow you to slowly thaw the line.
If possible, expose your pipes to the heat from inside your home, by opening cabinets, ceiling tiles, or anything else that will help circulate heat to your pipes.
Pipe Burst
If a pipe breaks you need to shut off your water main by closing your home’s water shut off valve. If you are not sure where or what this is, keep reading. There are several areas where water can be shut off, and depending on where the pipe burst occurs you will need to find the necessary shut off valve.
If your pipe burst is close to a faucet or appliance, you can check and see if there is a valve near that appliance. Most sinks and toilets have water valves that can be shut off. However, most of the time the pipe burst will not happen close enough to an appliance, sink, or toilet to be stopped with these valves.
The next closest point in your plumbing system allowing you to shut off the water to the house will usually be near your water meter. Check and see what kind of tool you will need to shut off the water.
The last point at which you can shut off your water will normally be near the curb of your lot, this valve is called a curb stop. You should also have the knowledge of what kind of tool will be necessary to shut of your homes water supply here as well.
If all else fails you will need to call the provider of water in your city to shut off the water to your home.
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