GTA RESTORATION BLOG IN TORONTO & GTA

Frozen Pipe Burst in Home

17/12/2022

A Frozen Pipe Burst in Home

It's critical to shield your pipes from the cold. Due to this, even the most durable commercial plumbing system may encounter serious problems. Ice pressure could cause cracks, leaks, or bursts in your pipes if they are not shielded and insulated.
Durable materials are used to construct residential plumbing pipes, which can withstand water pressures of 45 to 80 psi. Pressure can surpass 25,000 psi, and the volume of the water can increase by as much as 9% when an intense freeze transforms liquid water inside a pipe into solid ice.
Frozen pipes break when they thaw because the extreme pressure and volume of the obstruction weaken them. The pipe explodes as a result of the enormous power that the thawing water exerts. Water downstream from the obstruction often retreats through the supply line to its external source. The direction of water flow to interior faucets is often where most of the damage from the break occurs.

IF YOUR FROZEN PIPES HAVE BURST

A leak can be tolerated, at least temporarily. The same is true with hot water issues. Even though low water pressure is a problem, you still have access to water. But coping with ruptured pipes is much more difficult. Pipe bursts can result in significant damage. There is no getting around it; consider how much water you use in an average evening. Imagine that instead of flowing from your taps, all that water is rushing out of a busted pipe in your walls or ceiling. It goes without saying that the amount of water that accumulates in your walls and ceilings produces a variety of issues!
You're certain the pipes froze over throughout the night. Before the worst occurs, you hope they would thaw.

These are just a handful of the symptoms that point to a significant issue if they do burst.
A sudden, loud roar may be heard coming from inside the walls.
Overnight leaky faucets aren't working.
After a flush, toilet tanks don't refill.
If there is water pressure, it is very weak.
Walls quickly acquire dark spots and moist streaks.
Broken pipes in the ceilings cause water leaks.
Pipes under sinks have moisture or frost on them.
Even if every fixture is off, the water meter still detects flow.
In the yard, you detect any unusual ponding or sinkholes.

What to Do If A Pipe Bursts

Quick action is required in the event of a burst pipe to stop or reduce the water flow and reduce damage. Use the water shut-off valve, remove all items from the affected area, and check that the drains are clear. Another crucial step is hastily drying the damaged area.
Mold growth is the biggest long-term worry associated with a water leak. There is a chance that mold could start to grow if moisture is left in the region as the weather warms. In the event that a basement floods, homeowners should proceed with great caution. The possibility of electrocution is increased in these areas by standing water.

What Makes Our Staff of Plumbing Experts Unique?

Giving every customer experience a higher degree of excellence has been the foundation of our business. We are happy to offer both an on-time promise and a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Our certified plumbers are equipped and prepared to manage a variety of plumbing services that your property may need because of this. Our plumbers are familiar with your plumbing problems because we are a family- owned and -operated company.
What makes our business successful are the founding values that direct its day-to-day operations:

Our emergency services are available 24/7.
There are no extra payments for our services, even on the weekends and on holidays.
All plumbing systems created, maintained or installed by our plumbers adhere to the strictest industry standards as well as all relevant local, state, and federal building codes.

Need help with a frozen, bursting, or leaking pipe?

Our staff of plumbers can help you with frozen, burst, or leaky pipes in your home. Our plumbers are accessible to you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week because plumbing emergencies never happen at a convenient moment.
These are a few of the plumbing pipe services we offer:

Freeze-ups in pipes, which need skill and patience because time is of the essence. Our plumbers are adept at handling frozen pipes to prevent them from bursting.
Burst pipes: Because of the potential for significant damage, nobody wants to deal with a situation involving a burst pipe. Yet, if a pipe does burst, our plumbers can repair the damage and get things back to normal.

How to minimize the property damage

The greatest approach to stop your pipes from busting is through preventative plumbing.
Yes, you can contact an emergency plumber to fix or replace a burst pipe. But, if you ask us, preventing damage to your house is preferable that reacting to it. It's not, it's preventative! Your neighborhood plumber will examine all your home's plumbing systems during a plumbing inspection. They'll be able to recognize issues and gauge their seriousness. The best part is that, if necessary, your plumber may also provide on-the-spot repairs for any problems they find!

As mentioned earlier, turn off the water supply.
Turn on all the cold-water faucets and flush the toilets to empty the system.
Turn off the immersion and the central heating. Let solid fuel burn out if you use it.
Turn on the hot taps to further drain the system after turning off the water heating altogether.
If it is safe to do so, turn off the mains if water from a burst pipe is spilling near any sockets, switches, or appliances. Do not touch a wet switch; instead, contact a licensed electrician.
Make sure you have access to the stop cock if you share a water source, such as if you live in an apartment building.

Get it fixed

How long it takes to clean and dry out your home and its belongings depend on how much water damage there is. It can take up to a week to restore the water, or it might take as little as two days. Our air sanitizers and water damage drying equipment are left behind at your house or place of business to complete the water cleanup process. We don't take down our cutting-edge machinery until temperature, humidity, and moisture testing state that the affected regions have dried to acceptable standards.

A ruptured pipe can be repaired by being bound with tape or fabric.
Replace this as quickly as possible with a long-lasting fix completed by a licensed and skilled plumber.
BEFORE turning your immersion or boiler back on, make sure your hot water system has been refilled.

Signs of a Pipe Problem

You might not be aware of the problems it might cause or what to check for if you haven't had a pipe burst. Some of the telltale indicators that a pipe has burst include water stains on the wall, pools of water on the floor, and strange sounds while turning on or off the faucet. You should be alert of a pipe leak even though these state a busted pipe (s). If there is a persistent leak, it is likely that you will soon be dealing with a burst pipe. Increased water bills, a change in the appearance or smell of the water, and adjustments to the water pressure are all signs that need to be looked into right once.

I know that many homeowners overlook warning indications of a plumbing issue, as I minimized and disregarded the discomfort in my tooth in the months before my root canal. They may worry that they will need to have expensive and invasive work done as well as worry that their problems don't actually need the services of a plumber. It's all too simple to brush off a smelly drain or write off low water pressure as a sign of an old house or a minor issue. But as I've already mentioned, throughout my years in the plumbing industry, I've seen far too many people disregard similar problems only to learn that they were signs of a larger problem. It's crucial as a homeowner to understand how to identify plumbing problems so you can take care of minor problems as soon as they arise. So that you can take preventative action and maintain your home in top condition, I'll go through some of the warning signs and symptoms of damaged pipes and plumbing issues.

Avoid Having Your Home's Pipes Freeze

A burst pipe emergency in the dead of winter is something that no homeowner wants to deal with. Unfortunately, frozen and broken pipes are a regular issue during the severe winters. We provide 24-hour emergency plumbing services, so we can come to your home whenever you need us. Our plumbers are committed to offering effective, superior plumbing repair.

With these six easy suggestions, you can safeguard your pipes and get ready for freezing temperatures:
Before holidays, drain the pipes
Find your shutdown valve location for emergencies.
Reduce draughts and insulating pipes
Protect your RPZ valve and outdoor faucets.
Open doors below sinks when it gets below freezing and leave a faucet running all night.
If your pipes do freeze, defrost them.

A burst pipe is a significant issue that might occur when it is below freezing. When water freezes inside your pipes, it expands. Due of the extreme strain this puts on it, a pipe may explode. If a pipe explodes, hundreds of gallons of water per hour will be released. In addition to creating a major mess that will be expensive and time-consuming to clean up, this water can damage wood, carpets, floors, and drywall. The harm from a ruptured pipe can be lessened with prompt intervention. If you can, find the main water shut-off valve for your house and switch it on right away.

FROZEN PIPES

In cold temperatures, some pipes may freeze but not break. The situation has improved, but your pipes are still inoperable. Furthermore, you might find that your pipes are frozen before they break, which would allow you to use a professional before any damage is done. A frozen water line or drain pipe is only a couple of signs that your pipes have frozen:

None of the faucets are dripping water.
Ice or frost covering exposed pipes
Unusual burbling or gurgling noises coming from the pipes
Clogged drains
- Pipes in unheated interior spaces, such as crawl spaces, attics, and basements, are prone to freezing. Insulate any exposed pipes against the cold. Wrap them in pipe insulation or heating tape to prevent them from becoming too cold.
- Keep cabinet doors beneath sinks open - By keeping the cabinet doors under your sinks open, warm air will circulate over the pipes, keeping them warmer.
- Keep your home at a pleasant temperature - Even when you are away, your home should be kept at 55 degrees or higher.
- Before a cold snap, open the faucets on your exterior faucets and let a trickle of water stream through the pipes.
- Moving water does not freeze, only standing water does. Garden hoses should be disconnected, drained, and stored throughout the winter.

To deal with any frozen pipes inside or outside of your home, you should call a qualified plumber straight soon to avoid a costly tragedy. Anytime pipes freeze, they risk bursting. Your home can flood as a result of this. Our local plumbers are able to locate frozen pipes and immediately fix or replace them before they break or crack. In the event that a pipe has already broken and is starting to leak, we provide burst pipe repair services. We have been repairing broken pipes for more than 20 years. Using their expertise and sophisticated equipment, our plumbing technicians can find any frozen pipes and return your pipes to regular operation.