Anyone who lived in New York City this winter knows the endless amounts of snow and freezing temperatures we experienced. Calls to plumbers NYC went through the roof this winter, including here at Aladdin Plumbing. We saved a lot of water pipes that were unavoidably frozen. We also found ourselves stopping people from doing certain things to their pipes on their own when they woke up without any water in the morning.
When you deal with frozen water pipes in the middle of an ongoing deep freeze, your safest course of action is to call professional plumbers NYC. This is especially the important if you have no prior experience dealing with frozen water pipes and are not sure where the frozen spot is.
If the cold is intense enough and everything turns to ice, it could be that the entire water line is frozen. Alternatively, isolated parts of your water pipes could have frozen clogs instead. The plumbing NYC experts at Aladdin Plumbing will find the location and remediate the issue for you. However, there are steps you should avoid if you wake to find a lack of water and suspect it is due to freezing.
Unfortunately, we see far too many people attempt to unfreeze their water pipes on their own using methods that are both dangerous and can cause damage to the plumbing or your home. Some of these bad ideas can potentially burst your pipes, leaving you with a major plumbing emergency and a larger bill.
What Not To Do When Thawing Your Frozen Pipes
Some people will try using blowtorches on their water pipes, or pouring a giant bowl of boiling water. Pipes are sensitive to sudden surges of heat, and warming them too fast can ultimately make them burst. You need a gradual, gentle heat in this scenario. We have the proper equipment available to take care of this quickly. Once the pipes are thawed properly, we ask you to leave the hot water faucets open to slowly drip. By allowing the hot water to trickle out of each tap, you clean any remaining ice from the line and prevent further freezing.
If you are going to be gone for a while, take a few preventative measures. 25 years ago in the article “Coping/With Preventing Frozen Pipes” the New York Times offered advice about frozen pipes that is still relevant today. They cite plumbers in the piece reminding you to turn off your water at the main line while away, and open your hot and cold faucets to relieve pipe pressure. Remember also to shut down your boiler and water heater whenever turning off the water supply. Running your boiler or water heater without water is dangerous and can result in fire or explosion.
“As copper pipe gets cold it shrinks,” Mr. Warren said. “Water expands when it gets cold. If ice is formed and it pushes against the metal with enough force, the pipe will burst.” Metal pipes are more vulnerable than plastic, Mr. Warren added, but plastic can rupture in the cold, too.
If you are experiencing frozen pipes in the NYC area, contact Aladdin Plumbing. We are always here for your plumbing NYC needs including 24/7/365 emergency responses to frozen pipes.