Frozen Pipes, Prevention and Thawing

One of the most common problems in Alaska in the wintertime is frozen water pipes. When pipes get too frozen they burst, many times not leaking until they are thawed out.

Of course the best way to deal with the problem is to not have it in the first place, proper inspection and maintenance is the key. On new construction where pipes are going to run under the house, make sure they are up inside the joists close to the floor. When you install insulation later they will be well inside that insulation barrier and heated by the ambient heat coming through the floor. It involves a lot of hole boring and pre-planning but is well worth it.

Say you didn't build the house and it's your first winter there. Inspect the plumbing, look for exposed pipes under the joists or even coming up from the ground. Wrap these pipes with pipe wrap insulation or one piece foam insulation tubes made for the size pipes you are insulating.

Some pipes are in such an exposed location they will always freeze, these pipes may need a heat tape. When installing heat tapes, tape the tape to the pipe with electrical tape every two to three feet, then wrap the pipe as well.

Whatever you do don't ever cross the heat tape over itself, it may melt and cause a fire in the event the thermostat malfunctions. Try to always use a thermostatically controlled heat tape.

One last thing is check the skirting around your house. Make sure there are no gaps or holes and insulate that as well. Really cold areas like Fairbanks and the arctic have the plumbing under the house running in a loop with risers going up to the service points in the house. These loops are hooked to a circulation pump, much like a boiler circulation pump. These pumps need to be turned on in the fall and off in the spring, they keep the water in the pipes moving so it won't freeze.

Now suppose after all this preparation you're pipes freeze anyway. Start by determining where they are frozen if you can. If they are frozen under the house try using an electric heater to raise the temperature up in the crawlspace, or if you know exactly where they are frozen place the heater in front of the frozen pipe. Make sure there are no flammable materials near and never leave the heater unattended.

Make sure you know where the nearest valve is to turn the water off in case the pipe has burst. Look and feel along the pipe for small splits or fittings that have come apart from the pipe. Copper pipe tends to split, even on fittings. Plastic pipe tends to come apart at the nearest fitting, rather than break along the pipe. If the pipes just froze the night before there is a good chance they will thaw out and you'll hear a bang or thud and the water will flow again, leave a tap open and you'll hear the water start moving.

Now some words of caution. Never use a torch to thaw pipes. Never leave thawing equipment unattended. You can use a blow dryer for hair, but use caution as they can overheat if used too long. There are heat guns available, be careful, they get a lot hotter than blow dryers. It is also not a good idea to use anything with a open flame. If you must use a torch or heater with a flame such as a propane shop heater, stand by with a rated fire extinguisher or water source.