by Francis Jock

Created on: September 21, 2008   Last Updated: February 04, 2009

Winter is coming and when it arrives, it will bring snow, cold and freezing temperatures. Every year, homes and apartments throughout the country suffer when winter storms cause power outages and water pipes freeze up overnight. There are several ways to thaw out those frozen pipes; some are quite safe, while others have caused unnecessary bathroom repairs, fires and financial loss. In this article, we will look at how to thaw out frozen water pipes safely.

Water pipes are subject to freezing whenever they are unnecessarily exposed to sub-zero temperatures. In the house, or apartment building, water pipes are run in the basement or crawl space, in the attic, through walls, and under floor joists. These areas are outside the usual living space of a home, so they tend to go unnoticed until they freeze. If they burst, as copper pipe is prone to do, flooding and serious damage to floors, walls, ceiling and furniture is likely to result. Bathroom repairs, always quite expensive, must be made to prevent further damage, and it suddenly becomes a busy time for plumbers.

The best way to prevent water pipes from freezing up is to make sure that they are properly protected from exposure to the cold air. Air leaks, from cracks in a building's foundation or small holes in the wall, will become frigid air streams when the temperature drops below freezing. It doesn't take long for the water inside an exposed pipe to freeze when subjected to subzero blasts of air. Therefore, you should examine your water pipes, wherever they are located, and make sure that they are properly insulated for protection. This applies to both hot and cold water pipes, as it's a good idea to protect hot water pipes from energy loss as well. You should make sure that even the smallest section of exposed water pipe, especially around bends and joints, is well insulated with foam or fiberglass wrap that is specially designed for this purpose.

Now, what should you do if your water pipes do freeze up? First, a word about safety. Using an open flame from any source is strongly not recommended. Open flames cause fires, and house fires in sub-zero weather is definitely a most unpleasant thing. I hope that you will never have to experience one. They are entirely preventable, yet they still happen every year. The alternative is to use a radiant form of heat, say radiant heater, which can be directed at the frozen section of pipe and solve the problem quickly and safely.

The best and most obvious source of radiant

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