How to thaw frozen water pipes

When you pipes have frozen during the winter, it can be difficult to thaw them.  Here are some tricks to try and thaw them, and what you shouldn’t do.

If you have a heating pad or electric blanket, you can carefully wrap the pipes to gradually heat them.  Secure with a bungee cord or zip ties.

You can use a hairdryer to thaw the pipes by running the hairdryer across the pipes, you should avoid just focusing on one spot.

As a last resort, you can soak towels in hot or boiling water and then wrap them around the pipes, however it can be messy.  Secure with a bungee cord or zip ties.

You should NOT use a blowtorch or propane torch to thaw pipes, as it can cause an explosion.  For the same reason, you should not pour boiling water over pipes either.

Do keep the tap open (running) while you work, to help as soon as you start thawing enough that water can start to get through, as the water – even though it may be cold – will still be warmer than ice and will slowly thaw the pipes.

Whenever the weather gets cold enough where the pipes may freeze, be sure to leave a tap running inside the house so the water in the pipes doesn’t freeze.