How to thaw frozen drain pipes : tips and tricks

During very cold winters, frozen water pipes or frozen septic tanks are always a risk. When the water inside your pipes or septic tank freezes, the ice then will expand and block the waterflow and it might even rupture a pipe.

Prevent damage caused by frost

When a pipe bursts it will spill several gallons of water, and cause up to thousands of dollars of damage to your home. This article will show you how easy it is to prevent a frozen water pipe or frozen septic tank so you don't need to call the plumber.

Risky Locations:

Depending on the structure of your home, there are a number of risky locations where water pipes are exposed to extreme temperatures more then on other locations inside the home. It is advisable to make sure the pipes are sufficiently insulated with foam insulation wrap in those places.

Drain pipes are most susceptible to freezing when located:

• Inside the outside wall of your home
• Underneath a sink that's on an outside wall
• In an unheated crawlspace or cellar

Thawing a frozen main or water pipe

If your water pipes get frozen, but you are lucky enough that they have not yet ruptured completely, then you will need to thaw! Depending on the location of the pipes there are a couple of plumbing tools and techniques to go about thawing it out. Finding the frozen pipe

• Try the different faucets in your home to identify the blocked pipe(s).
• Trace the frozen pipe from the faucet to possible cold areas mentioned above.
• The frozen area of the pipe will often be slightly frosted and may even look a little bulged

Once you have located the frozen part of the pipe, you are ready to start thawing the pipe. You can thaw the pipe using the various methods / "plumbing" tools described below.

Thawing frozen pipes with a hair dryer

An easy and safe way to thaw a pipe yourself is to use a (high power) hairdryer. Almost everyone has got a hair dryer available and there is almost no risk of fire.

• Make sure the frozen faucet is open in order to remove all the ice inside the system once the frozen blockage has been eliminated.
• Gradually heat the affected part of the pipe from the faucet towards the frozen core.

Thawing a frozen pipe with a portable heater

If you happen to have a portable electric heater, then you can use it to melt the blockage inside the pipe by directing the heater onto the frozen section of the pipe.

• Make sure the frozen faucet is open in order to remove all the ice inside the system once the frozen blockage has been eliminated.
• Gradually heat the frozen pipe from the faucet towards the frozen core.

Thawing a pipe with a heat lamp

For people with a either a infrared heat lamp or an incandescent heatlamp, you can use the lamp to heat the pipe by directing the heater onto the frozen pipe.

• Make sure the affected faucet is open in order to remove all the ice inside the system once the frozen blockage has been eliminated.
• Gradually heat the blocked pipe from the faucet towards the frozen core.

Thawing pipes with electric heat tape

A slightly different method is the use of an electric heat tape. This professional piece of equipment is like a ribbon type wrapper that has heating elements inside it. It is wrapped around the frozen section of the pipe. The temperature is then controlled with a thermostat.

Warning!

Propane torches and heat guns are dangerous and can cause fires, not to mention that a frozen pipe can crack or break if warmed too quickly.