How to Thaw Frozen Water Pipes in a Mobile Home Fast

Pipes can become frozen in winter.

Once the temperatures drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit at night, your mobile home is at risk for suffering frozen pipes. If the pipes are not thawed fairly quickly, the ice in them will expand and cause the pipes to burst. Not only will this cause a mess, but it also could require potentially costly repairs.

Things You'll Need

• Hair dryer
• Electric space heater
• Electric construction heater

Instructions

1. Turn on all of the faucets in your mobile home. This relieves the pressure where the ice has built up. Oftentimes, the ice will break apart and you will have restored the flow of water to your mobile home.

2. Locate the main supply pipe to your mobile home. Bring your hair dryer outside (you'll need to hook it up to an extension cord). Run the hair dryer over the pipe until the ice breaks free. This could take 10 to 20 minutes.

3. Hook an electric space heater up to an extension cord and set it next to your main supply pipe if the hair dryer doesn't help. Let it heat the pipes until the ice melts and the water is released.

4. Use an electric construction heater as a last resort if your hair dryer and electric space heater do not do the trick. The construction heater blows the hot air more forcefully than a hair dryer. It can also reach a larger area. Use the construction heater until you hear the ice break free.

Tips & Warnings

• If the temperatures are set to drop below 32 F, set your faucets to drip. This will help prevent the pipes from freezing.

• Wrap your pipes in insulating material so that they can withstand colder temperatures in the future.

• Do not use a propane torch or any other object that produces flames. You risk the chance of your whole mobile home catching fire.

References

• Keidel: The Safe Way to Thaw Frozen Pipes
• Mlive: Calling Them Out: Thawing Frozen Pipes
• The Weather Channel: Preventing Frozen Pipes