Pipe Repair Tips – What You Need to Know

The following articles contain tips on how to repair a frozen pipe. To learn more please read on.

If you have a pipe that is frozen and in need of pipe repair the first thing you will need to do is isolate the damage. Pipe repair jobs need to be handled quickly and efficiently because time is the one thing that is not on your side. Once a frozen pipe burst the water damage can be extensive and costly so it is better to repair a cracked or frozen pipe rather than a burst one.

To isolate the potential damage the first thing that you will need to do turn off the main water valve to your home and open the faucet that the suspected broken pipe is feeding to. The logic behind this act is to give the water that is frozen inside the pipe somewhere to go, without any more water being feed into it. Once you have done this, you can inspect the pipe to look for the area where it is frozen. You will also want to look for any cracks in the pipe or bulges that indicate a potential bursting point. Once you have found the source of your problem your next step will be to unthaw the area. It is vital that you do not attempt to use a propane torch or open flame in this process. It can be very tempting to use a quick fix like this but the danger it presents outweighs any benefits it can potentially derive. For one thing the flame can easily get out of control and you can have a fire to deal with. Or you will unthaw the pipe so quickly that it burst and your easy pipe repair becomes an expensive restoration project.

A hair dryer is a good source of heat to unthaw pipes. Use nice, easy strokes to go along the pipe being careful to not focus on one area to long. Once the pipe is thawed out you have two options. You can wrap the pipe in duct tape or electric tape and call a plumber or you can attempt to repair the pipe yourself.

The tape will not stop a leak; it will only prevent more damage on a very limited and short term basis while you wait for a plumber. If you don’t have the proper tools and knowledge to do a repair, which will probably mean cutting out the damaged pipe and replacing it, call a plumber to do this part.

To repair the pipe, either you or your plumber will have to cut out the cracked or damaged pipe and replace it with a new pipe. This will require the use of a pipe cutter, a soldering gun and exact measuring skills.

Once the pipe is repaired you may want to consider having the plumber insulate it by wrapping electric tape around it to prevent future problems. It is far easier to prevent frozen pipes than it is to repair them, so make sure that you keep your pipes well insulated.

Article Tags: Pipe Repair

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR