How to Thaw Frozen Home Water Pipes

Check all the faucets in your home if one does not run.

During the winter, the temperature drops to lows that may freeze the water in the pipes in your home. As water freezes it expands and, if it is allowed to freeze entirely, the pipe bursts. If you turn on a faucet in the winter and only receive a trickle of water, a pipe in your home is partially frozen. Thawing a frozen pipe is a straightforward task, but be aware that there are situations where you will need to contact a licensed plumber.

Things You'll Need

• Towels

Instructions

1. Leave the faucet open. As you thaw the pipe, this gives the melting water and the blocked water a place to go.

2. Locate the frozen pipe. Likely candidates are pipes mounted on outside walls, and pipes that are outside. A frozen pipe is significantly colder than a pipe with running water in it. Touch several pipes to compare the temperature. If you cannot locate the problem pipe, contact a licensed plumber.

3. Soak a towel in hot water.

4. Wrap the hot towel around the frozen pipe. When the towel cools off, replace it with another hot, wet towel.

5. Repeat the process until the water starts running again.

Tips & Warnings

• Other ways to safely thaw a pipe include a portable space heater, a hair dryer, or an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe.

• Check all the taps in your home when you realize that one faucet is not running. The temperatures may be cold enough that there are multiple frozen pipes in your home.

• Do not use any open flame to thaw the pipe. Direct flames, like blowtorches, cause the water to boil inside the pipe and may result in an explosion.

References

• Red Cross: Preventing and Thawing Frozen Pipes