Tips on preventing frozen pipes from bursting
NORTH TEXAS - Below freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on a home or apartment's heating system, plumbing, or exterior features.
The arctic blast that hit North Texas caused one Plano homeowner's pool equipment to freeze. Security footage shows it exploding just as he turned away.
Plumbers in the metroplex got several calls Sunday about frozen pipes bursting.
"Today, all we're getting is, 'My pipes are frozen, I don't have any water coming out, what can I do?'" said David Butler, master plumber for Milestone Home Services.
He said the most important thing to do is figure out how to shut off your water so if your frozen pipe does burst, you can prevent serious flooding inside your home.
You can also try running the cold water in your bathtub.
"Even if it gets to 25 degrees, that may be enough for it to thaw out," Butler said. "If it does, that way it can start trickling through."
Opening up the cabinets under your sink and putting a space heater nearby – or even using your hair dryer on the pipes underneath – can help in some cases.
"Make sure and clean the cabinet completely out, nothing under there that can be flammable, and keep it at least two feet away from any combustibles," he said.
However, if the pipe is frozen two or three feet underground, more heat under the sink won't make a difference.
It can help prevent pipes from freezing in the first place though.
"Believe it or not, now we're coming into the worst time of it because in Texas, two days is the magic number," Butler said. "Everything that hasn't frozen yet, can easily still freeze."
That means at least another two nights of keeping the sink cabinets open and letting the faucets trickle.
"Better waste the water than have the water damage from a frozen pipe," said Butler.
He expects plumbers will get the most calls about frozen pipes that have burst in a few days, when temperatures finally get above freezing and things start to unthaw.