Doing a DIY frozen pipe repair

Did you know that you can carry out a DIY frozen pipe repair using materials and tools that most households possess?

With temperatures having been already recorded in double figures below zero, we here in the UK are well and truly into our winter season. If you’ve already suffered from frozen and burst water pipes you will be only too painfully aware of the inconvenience that it causes.

If on the other hand you haven’t yet been troubled by problems with your water supply caused by the low temperature, given the fact that we are only halfway through winter you could still fall foul of this problem.

It doesn’t necessarily follow that your water pipes will burst if they are frozen. You can prevent this from happening by learning how to defrost frozen pipes safely and carefully.

The pipes most likely to need defrosting

The water pipes that are most exposed to the vagaries of the weather are the ones that are most likely to be in danger of freezing. It therefore stands to reason that any outdoor pipes are the ones most likely to be affected.

However, pipes in un-heated areas of a property could also need a frozen pipe repair if it gets particularly cold. You should therefore keep a careful eye on pipes in unheated basements or sellers, or those situated in unheated crawl spaces.

Best methods for carrying out a DIY frozen pipe repair

The best methods to utilise when carrying out a DIY frozen pipe repair in your home are those that do not use a naked flame. So, in other words, if you have a blowtorch at home you should refrain from using it to defrost your pipes.

If you do however decide to give your blowtorch try, it is important to keep the flame moving along the length of the pipe because this will avoid a sudden concentration of heat in any one specific area.

The tool that most households possess and that is therefore the most common to try out is a hairdryer. But even though the heat from a hairdryer is less intense than that of a blowtorch it is nonetheless recommended that you should still move the hairdryer back and forth to spread the heat slowly.

If you do not have a hairdryer to hand, the other way of attempting to carry out a frozen pipe repair is with hot towels. This method will probably take slightly longer than any other method because it will entail reheating and reapplying the towels until the ice inside the pipe is melted. It is however probably the safest DIY method.

If you need professional help

If you are unsuccessful in your attempts to carry out a DIY frozen pipe repair, we here at CW Services Plumbing and Heating are on hand to help. No job is too small. Similarly, if you have attempted to defrost a water pipe and have inadvertently caused it to burst, you can rely on us to carry out a rapid, cost efficient repair.

If you do need our services for any plumbing emergency you’ll be pleased to know that we operate a 24/7/365 emergency callout service. Whether it’s an emergency or not, you can reach us on 020 7733 6812 or 07949 095 184.