Frozen pipes in your home can cut off your water supply during critical hours of the day or night. That can cause avoidable inconvenience or even put your family in unnecessary danger. If the frozen pipes crack, it can also result in severe water damage to your home.
The main problem with frozen pipes in the home is that you don’t even know when they freeze, says Specialized Management Oklahoma. Late detection of freezing pipes increases the risk that the expanding water inside the pipe will damage your plumbing. Detecting a frozen pipe on time can save you a lot of trouble.
How do you know when a pipe inside your home is about to freeze? What are the early warning signs that a pipe inside your home has frozen? Below are 5 ways to detect when a water pipe or drain line is frozen.
5 signs that your pipes are frozen
- Lack of water
If multiple faucets in the home are not producing water or flowing in trickles, a section of the pipes supplying those faucets could be frozen. Low water pressure is another sign that pipes are frozen or about to freeze. If your home’s water pressure falls below the normal level and your neighbor’s home is unaffected, you may want to check if expanding ice inside the pipes is blocking the water flow.
- Bulging or swelling pipes
If the pipes are in an accessible area of your home, it is possible to see when the water inside them becomes frozen; frozen pipes usually expand. That happens because, unlike most materials, which contract when they freeze, water expands when it freezes. This strange behavior is what makes freezing water a danger to pipes. The pressure of the expanding water can cause plastic or even copper pipes to swell, which can rupture the pipe.
- Frost or condensation on pipes
A frozen pipe in your home will sometimes have a coating of condensation on its body or ice hanging on its exterior surface. Once again, you will only notice this if the pipe is in an exposed area of your home. You are more likely to see your pipe covered in condensation than frost. The presence of condensation or frost on water pipes can help you pinpoint the exact site of the frozen water inside your plumbing.
- Sewer odors in the home
So far, we have focused on frozen water pipes, but drainpipes can also freeze. The contents of a drainage line can freeze if sections of the pipe are exposed to cold air or installed above the frost line. A frozen drainage pipe will trap wastewater and sewer gases. If the problem goes on for a long time, those gases may start to escape into your home. If you smell bad odors inside your home during winter, your drainpipes could be frozen.
- Strange sounds from your plumbing
A frozen pipe can make unusual noises, like clanging, banging, or gurgling sounds, when the ice inside begins to thaw and water starts to move through the line slowly. If a drainpipe is frozen, you may hear gurgling sounds from your toilet when you flush it. As the trapped air inside the sewer line escapes through the toilet bowl, it will make a bubbling noise.
How to safely thaw a frozen pipe
The next step after you find a frozen pipe in your home is to thaw the pipe. When trying to unfreeze a pipe, there is always a danger that if the pipe is broken, it will cause flooding in your home. It is also possible to damage a pipe when trying to thaw it.
Do NOT try to thaw the pipe quickly by applying direct heat using a hairdryer, torch, or other heat tools. The sudden change in temperature can cause your pipe to crack. That will only increase the risk of a leak and possible water damage to your home.
Secondly, if you think the pipe has burst already, do not try to thaw it, or you could be dealing with worse problems. A frozen pipe that has burst will discharge water into your home as it thaws. It is best to let a professional plumber handle frozen pipes that are damaged.
To thaw the frozen pipe, increase the temperature around the pipe gradually. Here are ways to do this safely:
- Raise the room temperature so the warm air reaches the location of the pipe.
- Use a space heater on low settings.
- Use electric heating tapes or cables that are specifically designed for this purpose.
- Wrap warm towels or insulation around the pipe.
Turn off your water supply before you do this, and keep an eye on the pipe throughout the process to spot any signs of damage. Keep a plastic bucket handy. If this is a lot of work or you can’t access the frozen pipe, you can always call a professional plumber.