Preventing and coping with frozen water pipes

When freezing weather blankets the countryside water pipes in houses start to freeze. As Benjamin Franklin said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is much better to prevent a frozen pipe than to try to thaw it after it freezes.

Vernon County Southern Commissioner Kennon Shaw, who is experienced in HVAC systems said that one of the ways to keep pipes running is to do just that -- leave the faucet dripping water to be sure the pipe doesn't freeze.

"If you leave a faucet dripping it will keep the pipe feeding it from freezing," Shaw said. "The cost of the water you use will be a lot less than the cost of fixing a frozen pipe."

Other methods of prevention include wrapping a pipe with electrical heating tape, insulating around pipes, opening cabinets to expose pipes to warmer room air, and using supplemental heating for especially cold areas.

Shaw said that when the temperature stays below freezing for an extended period the colder a home gets.

"The longer its cold, the colder it will be under houses," Shaw said. "The cold seeps in eventually. Even insulation won't stop it, the cold conducts through insulation eventually."

If, in spite of all your precautions, a pipe does freeze there are ways to handle the situation safely. A hair dryer on it's warmest setting can help safely thaw a frozen pipe, if it is accessible. For a pipe that is not accessible a space heater can heat the air around a pipe, eventually thawing it.

Just about all the experts agree, using a propane torch isn't one of the safe ways to thaw a pipe. Even if the pipe is metal it is usually close to wood and the heat from the torch can dry the wood and set it ablaze.

There is another problem associated with freezing pipes -- as water freezes it expands, which could cause cracks to form, which will start to leak when the water begins flowing again.