Nothing is worse during a frigid Houston cold front than the sudden sound of water rushing just behind your wall, confirming every homeowner’s biggest fear: you need an emergency pipe repair. If you find yourself in this situation, the most essential thing to remember is not to panic, and instead call your local, reliable professional plumbing company, Santhoff Plumbing in Houston. Every year, especially during unprecedented freezes like in 2021, millions of Houstonians face frozen pipes that require emergency repair. This is largely due to many residents of the South not understanding how impactful a freeze can be and the detrimental outcome it can have on their residential plumbing systems. Because of this, working with Santhoff Plumbing and learning about the most effective ways to prevent needing a broken pipe repair is the best way to enter the winter season.
Understanding the Danger: How and Why Pipes Freeze
A huge mistake many homeowners make is believing that the damage of a broken pipe is simply caused by ice, but this is actually only a small portion of the real plumbing problem. The truth is that the process of a freeze leading to a broken pipe is rooted in simple scientific facts: when water changes into the ice phase, its volume inherently increases by 9%. This, in turn, leads to expansion within the pipe and an immense pressure that almost always exceeds the standard limitations of a residential plumbing system. By learning where the pressure builds and why it affects certain pipes more than others is integral for Houston homeowners looking to avoid costly broken pipe repair this winter.
The most common places for this to happen include:
- Crawl spaces and attics
- Pipes in exterior walls
- Pipes near foundation vents
This is because these areas are typically excluded from consistent, regulated warm air that the interior of your home is subjected to during cold fronts. Because of this, they experience the brunt of the chilled air, making them more susceptible to freezing and pipes eventually bursting from the pressure.
The Proactive Checklist: Measures to Prevent Broken Pipes
If there is a cold front on the way, your most useful tool won’t be a hair dryer or a wrench; it will be the thoughtful preparation you do in order to prevent broken pipes due to a freeze. This section of the blog will highlight the best proactive defense methods you can use early in the winter season to help insulate, seal, and protect your home’s water flow from freezing. If you are careful enough, you may be able to significantly reduce your risk of blown pipes and damage.
The most important thing to remember is to insulate. By using things such as pipe sleeves, heat tape, or insulation foam on any exposed pipe, you can protect unheated areas of your plumbing system from potentially freezing. It is essential to prioritize both hot and cold water pipes, because while you might think that hot water lines are resistant to bursting, the truth is quite the opposite. The truth of the matter is that regardless of the heat of the water, it is still going to remain standing in the pipe at all times – making it a serious freezing hazard.
Additionally, another way to prepare is by resealing or caulking around your exterior walls, foundation, and utility lines to ensure that all cracks, holes, and gaps have been filled and can block the cold air from entering.
Lastly, when a winter freeze is on the horizon, remember to drip your faucets. By allowing cool water to continuously trickle down the line, it prevents pressure from building up to the point of bursting the pipe entirely. Along with this, be sure to disconnect your garden hose.
Leaving Home for Winter Vacation? How to Avoid a Burst Pipe
Nothing is worse than coming home from your holiday vacation to find your home flooded and needing expensive repairs due to a burst pipe. While you might be tempted to turn the heat off while you’re out of town, probably not expecting an unprecedented Houston freeze, this can actually put your exposed pipes in serious harm’s way while you’re enjoying your sunny vacation. This section will cover the most essential things to remember before you head to the airport in order to prevent a broken pipe repair bill welcoming you home.
The most important things to remember before you leave for a holiday vacation include:
- Keep your heat on: Never turn your heat fully off; be sure to set the thermostat to at least 55°F in order to prevent freezing.
- Open your cabinets: By leaving your kitchen cabinets open while you’re out of town, you allow the warm air to circulate properly throughout the home.
- Locate the main shut-off: It’s a great idea to locate the main shut-off valve before leaving, in case there is an unprecedented emergency at hand when you arrive home.
Remember, if you arrive home to find your home flooded from a burst pipe, it is imperative to immediately call your Houston plumbing team at Santhoff Plumbing for efficient, fast, and affordable service.
Detecting a Frozen Pipe 101
While a burst pipe is an extremely dramatic event, the predecessor is silent and only gives very subtle symptoms before bursting. Many Houston homeowners miss these signs, leading to expensive repairs not only to their plumbing system, but also to items within their home, including walls, insulation, flooring, furniture, and decorations, which can cost significant amounts to refurbish over time.
The most common signs that something is awry include:
- A faucet that barely drips or produces any water when activated
- Visible frost or condensation on an exposed section of pipe
- A slight, yet visible extension of the out way of the pipe
- Abnormal clanging or vibrating noises
DIY Thawing: Safe Steps for a Frozen Pipe To Prevent Bursting and Repair
If you’re lucky enough to locate a frozen pipe before it bursts and drenches your home with water overnight, these are the best methods to thaw it out. First, be sure to avoid using any sort of flame, as this can be dangerous for your Houston home’s plumbing system as well as you and your family.
The safest method is actually to use a hair dryer or a hot towel, as they offer slow, steady, and gentle heat application to the frozen pipe. Just remember to keep the faucet open while thawing pipes in order to give the water a place to escape instead of rupturing the pipe, leading to repair.
What To Do When Your Pipes Burst
So your pipes have burst, and you know you are going to need a full-scale plumbing repair, but where do you start? First things first, be sure to turn off your main water supply in order to prevent catastrophic flooding. After this, drain your system by opening all faucets, hot and cold, to drain the system of any remaining water.
Finally, call the professionals at Santhoff Plumbing. Our team of plumbers has years of specialized experience and will be able to locate and repair the pipe as quickly as possible. As winter is approaching, be sure to know your action plan and have Santhoff Plumbing on speed dial in order to keep a bad situation from growing worse. Contact us today for a free pipe repair estimate.