How To Thaw Pipes In Attic

D uring cold weather pipes in your walls attic or under your floor can freeze.

How to thaw pipes in attic.

The tool i like to use for thawing pipe is a simple hair dryer. Frozen pipes in crawl space or attic. For exposed pipes like those in attics or crawl spaces inexpensive foam pipe insulation is usually sufficient. Keep the faucet open.

If you need to unfreeze water pipes leave your faucets open slightly to help thaw out the pipes. You should continue to apply the heat until the water escaping from the faucet returns to full strength. Ways to thaw a frozen pipe. Likely places for frozen pipes include against exterior walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation.

How to thaw frozen pipes. If the pipe hasn t ruptured or broken thawing the frozen pipe is relatively easy. Once you have located the frozen pipe you are ready to start thawing the pipe. Thawing frozen pipes with a hair dryer.

You can thaw frozen pipes using the various methods and plumbing tools described below. How to thaw frozen water pipes. Adding additional attic insulation can improve your home s energy efficiency and help prevent other winter problems like condensation. Thawing exposed pipes.

How to thaw frozen pipes. If the frozen pipe is located in an area you can easily access you have several options for attempting to thaw the pipe. With enough expansion pipes will develop cracks. If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out suspect a frozen pipe.

Here are four options for thawing an exposed pipe. Where does the wate. Before anything else turn off the water supply to the frozen pipe. Otherwise you can thaw out the pipe by wrapping the pipe in a single layer of thermal tape or blowing air from a hair dryer back and forth across the pipe.

If you find a leak close the main shut off valve to your house and call a plumber immediately. First thing let s talk about how to do this job safely. Fixing frozen pipes in the attic or crawl space is more complicated. Wrapping freezing pipes with thermostatically controlled heat tape from 50 to 200 depending on length is also an effective way to quickly thaw a trouble spot.

You can supplement this with blown in insulation or rolled insulation throughout your attic. The key is to know how your plumbing system works. Here s why it won t get hot enough to create steam in the pipe. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt water will begin to flow.

An easy and safe way to thaw a pipe yourself is to use a high power hairdryer. If the frozen pipe did crack once the ice plug thaws out you could be faced with a torrent of water gushing from the pipe.