How To Repair Frozen Toilet Water Pipe

This post shows you how to thaw and prevent frozen pipes because when it happens yous need to deed quickly.

Here'due south the deal:

It'due south not the freezing part that's painful. Information technology'due south the thawing.

But don't worry, I have a lot of great tips that'll help you with your pipes.

Let's dive in!

Supplies for Thawing Pipes

As a kid, I loved watching shows most science. Especially Mr. Wizard on Nickelodeon (yah, I'm a kid of the 80s and wore parachute pants in 2nd form).

I affair I learned was that h2o expands as it freezes.

Frozen water has plenty force to make your pipes split or burst.

When this happens and yous eventually thaw the piping you're going to have h2o gushing from your ceiling or wall.

Seeing this happen firsthand is like watching a machine blow. Y'all can't believe it's happening – TO YOU!!!

I've been in a bad auto crash and have had a water leak from my kitchen ceiling. Both aren't much fun.

Hither'south what yous demand to thaw and preclude frozen pipes:

Electrical Heat Cable
Insulation for Pipe
Frost-Costless Sillcock
Portable Heater
Electrical Tape
Duct Tape
Extension Cord
Heat Gun
These Amazon links aid support Home Repair Tutor, cheers for using them

Let'southward get started and help you become a DIY Superhero!

Figure Out Where the Pipes are Frozen

At 1 point this year it was -20F hither in Pittsburgh.

Why practise I think? That'due south the solar day 1 of my tenants texted me to say the tub and toilet pipes were frozen!!!

Fortunately, she is Awesome and knew exactly what to do.

The pipes froze in her bathroom because they run forth an exterior wall.

How did my tenant get the pipes unfrozen?

First, she's a smart cookie and has dealt with it before (although not at my house).

Secondly, I gave her some boosted advice that I'll share with you today.

If your pipes freeze you lot should first locate the water master.

It comes into the house from the street and is likely in a basement or garage.

Water mains come up in through the side of the house and and then supply the rest of your home's pipes.

When temps get below a certain bespeak, pipes that run along an exterior wall are more likely to freeze than pipes that run inside interior walls.

And so, it makes sense to begin your search for frozen pipes by starting at the water main and follow the pipes along all outside walls.

Hither's the bargain:

Frozen pipes oftentimes times (not e'er though) have frost on them. Proceed your optics peeled for this clue.

Follow your pipes and turn on faucets or affluent toilets. If the faucet or toilet doesn't run then you know the preceding pipe run has an ice clog in it.

This takes some deductive reasoning and a little Magnum P.I. detective work.

This was my New Years' costume.

I honey Magnum P.I.

Once yous observe your frozen pipe information technology's time to thaw it out.

THAWING YOUR FROZEN PIPES

There are a few different means to thaw your pipes.

Starting time, if yous don't take water running to your bathroom or kitchen faucets make sure to open up the cabinet doors.

This allows rut from the habitation to warm upwards the pipes.

Secondly, identify a space heater in front of the chiffonier. Plug it into a GFCI and turn it onto the warmest settings.

This will speed upwards the thawing process. And trust me, you want there to be urgency involved.

If the water in your pipes freezes likewise much it will expand inside the pipe. And like I said at the get-go this could crusade the pipe to split. Ice can too make soldered fittings come loose.

All this is bad news that could lead to a leak inside your wall. Recall about how much a pain that would be. At present you'd have to remove a section of pipe along with some drywall.

If you tin stand information technology, turn upward the rut in your house too. This will protect your pipes from freezing more. Sure, your heating bill volition be high but I'd rather pay a few extra bucks for my heating bill than deal with water leaks.

You can likewise use a hairdryer or heat gun to thaw any visible pipes that take frozen. Apply the rut on the side of the piping that'southward closest to the h2o source.

You'll want to do this so that equally the piping thaws out the water pressure from the water main volition push button the ice buildup through the pipe.

Oh, I most forgot. As y'all're thawing pipes brand sure the faucet closest to the clog is turned on. This helps the process.

I hope that makes sense. Y'all can ever ask me your question in the comments in instance you're scratching your caput.

Hopefully, this section helps y'all with your frozen pipes. But how do you prevent this from happening in the get-go identify?

HOW TO PREVENT FROZEN PIPES: 3 SOLUTIONS TO Assist You OUT

You tin do a preemptive strike to prevent frozen pipes.

And it won't cost yous a boatload of money.

Certainly, open your cabinet doors and apply heat from a space heater if you suspect your pipes might freeze.

This will aid a TON.

I of the all-time solutions out there for preventing frozen pipes is to apply electrical estrus cables.

These little devices plug into a standard 120V outlet and rut up when the pipes drop to a certain temperature.

Follow the directions that come with the heating cablevision and you'll be set.

The ane I bought from Lowe's came in 6ft and 12ft sections.

It had to be attached to the pipe without whatsoever overlap or spiraling. Otherwise, the cablevision would overheat.

You'll want to use electrical tape to attach the heating cablevision to the pipe. But make sure your tape has the appropriate estrus rating.

The heating cable I bought required the oestrus rating to be at least 176F. Being an overachiever, I got a record with a 221F rating.

In one case spring arrives y'all can simply unplug the heating cable until the fall season comes around again.

Bank check out this video to see exactly how easy it is to use these cables.

The 2d action you can have is to add cream insulation to your pipes. This will help out immensely and it's easy to do.

Only separate the slit on the insulation and identify it on your pipes. Once you're satisfied with the positioning make sure to seal the slit past placing duct record on information technology. This will preserve the R-Value of the insulation and proceed your pipes cozy.

Finally, it's a slap-up idea to supervene upon all exterior hose bibs with frost-costless sillcocks.

These little babies will proceed your hose bibs from turning into ice cubes.

And you lot can use SharkBite push on fittings to make all the plumbing connections.

Here's the deal, I didn't supersede several hose bibs at my rentals and was nervous as all heck when the temps went below freezing.

What's Next

Bathrooms should accept GFCI outlets – this is especially important when using portable heaters. Nosotros accept a bully tutorial that shows how to install a GFCI similar a pro.

If you lot're doing a bathroom remodel and demand help, join i of our online courses – they'll brand your bathroom renovation much easier!

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to help.

Thanks as always for reading, watching, and being part of our awesome community.

Thanks,

Jeff