As winter draws near, many Milwaukee homeowners may experience little or no running water in certain areas of the house. This is a sign of a frozen pipe. Preventing frozen pipes will eliminate the stress of thawing and fixing frozen pipes later. Pipes that are openly exposed or close to an outside wall are most vulnerable. In order to prevent frozen pipes this year, you can install pipe insulation or install heat tape to battle the freezing temperature.
To insulate vulnerable pipes, you can wrap exposed pipes with foam insulation or fill the surrounding areas with fiberglass batts, loose-fill cellulose, or spray foam to prevent frozen pipes.
To install heat tape to vulnerable pipes, wrap the tape around the pipe and plug the unit into a reliable electrical receptacle. Never overlap electric heating tape. Newer electric pipe heating tapes will automatically turn on and off when needed to help prevent frozen pipes.
Frozen pipes are common in Milwaukee with below freezing temperatures, so what if your pipes do freeze? If water stops flowing, you know at least one of your pipes has frozen. If you experience frozen pipes, there are a couple ways to thaw frozen pipes.
First you would want to check and see if the pipe has burst. If this is the case, shut off the water supply using the shutoff valve and call your local Milwaukee plumber. If you pipes have not burst, you will want to quickly unthaw the frozen pipes.
If the frozen pipes are freely exposed, they can easily be thawed by a heat gun or hair dryer. You will want to close the shutoff valve and open a faucet. Start thawing frozen pipes from the faucet to the frozen area, so that any pressure build up will escape through the open faucet, therefore minimizing the chance of bursting the frozen pipe. Another way to unfreeze exposed pipes is to wrap the icy areas with towels soaked in boiling water and repeat until water begins running freely from the faucet.
If the frozen pipes are hidden in the wall, you can do one of two things. You could place a portable heater aimed at the wall where the frozen pipes are located, or you could remove part of the interior wall covering and heat it directly with the heater. By removing the interior wall covering, the heat will get to the frozen pipes quicker allowing for a faster fix.
If you have any questions about your frozen pipe problems, call Milwaukee Handyman who will gladly assist you. For Milwaukee plumbing needs, call Milwaukee Handyman for a free estimate and the best choice for all your Milwaukee plumbing repair and installation work.