It s the thawing pipes that leak and spew water after a hard freeze use a space heater heat lamp or hair dryer to thaw the frozen length of pipe.
How to thaw pipes in attic.
You should continue to apply the heat until the water escaping from the faucet returns to full strength.
Thawing exposed pipes.
You can thaw frozen pipes using the various methods and plumbing tools described below.
An easy and safe way to thaw a pipe yourself is to use a high power hairdryer.
As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt water will begin to flow.
The key is to know how your plumbing system works.
With enough expansion pipes will develop cracks.
In this video house flipping brothers dave and rich show you how to thaw frozen pipes.
Where does the wate.
If you need to unfreeze water pipes leave your faucets open slightly to help thaw out the pipes.
First thing let s talk about how to do this job safely.
Here s why it won t get hot enough to create steam in the pipe.
Once you have located the frozen pipe you are ready to start thawing the pipe.
Adding additional attic insulation can improve your home s energy efficiency and help prevent other winter problems like condensation.
If the frozen pipe is located in an area you can easily access you have several options for attempting to thaw the pipe.
Frozen pipes in crawl space or attic.
How to thaw frozen pipes.
Fixing frozen pipes in the attic or crawl space is more complicated.
Ways to thaw a frozen pipe.
Wrapping freezing pipes with thermostatically controlled heat tape from 50 to 200 depending on length is also an effective way to quickly thaw a trouble spot.
D uring cold weather pipes in your walls attic or under your floor can freeze.
Likely places for frozen pipes include against exterior walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation.
Thawing frozen pipes with a hair dryer.
The tool i like to use for thawing pipe is a simple hair dryer.
For exposed pipes like those in attics or crawl spaces inexpensive foam pipe insulation is usually sufficient.
How to thaw frozen water pipes.
Keep the faucet open.
If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out suspect a frozen pipe.
How to thaw frozen pipes.
If the pipe hasn t ruptured or broken thawing the frozen pipe is relatively easy.
Before anything else turn off the water supply to the frozen pipe.
You can supplement this with blown in insulation or rolled insulation throughout your attic.
Otherwise you can thaw out the pipe by wrapping the pipe in a single layer of thermal tape or blowing air from a hair dryer back and forth across the pipe.
If the frozen pipe did crack once the ice plug thaws out you could be faced with a torrent of water gushing from the pipe.
