Frozen Pipes Bursting Cause Water Leak in Avondale Chicago
Chicago’s frigid temperatures throughout winter can cause your home’s pipes to freeze.
Frozen pipes can block water from flowing and worse, cause flooding and water damage. Our professional plumbers have the tools and know-how to fix your pipes fast!
Our experts have the tips and tricks to prevent any leaks due to burst pipes this winter. Read more about how we saved an Avondale family’s property during a particularly cold spell.
Frozen Pipe
The cold weather has the entire city of Chicago frozen solid. Pipes in Avondale are no exception and they frequently burst from extreme temperatures.
Water leaks caused by frozen pipes can make life very difficult for residents and can potentially lead to severe flooding.
If you are unprepared for such events, water damage can render your home uninhabitable and potentially force your business to temporarily close.
Water Damage
Something as small as a frozen pipe can turn into a catastrophe. When water freezes it expands causing an increase in pressure in your water supply lines.
The increase in pressure will result in a small water leak around the pipe joints and will eventually cause the pipes to crack.
When thawed, the pipe is alleviated of pressure and as a result, the pipes will allow the flow of water to resume. However, this flow can become uncontrollable and damage your home. Unchecked leaks can lead to ruined drywall, compromised beams, and worst of all, dangerous mold.
A frozen pipe burst in the cold weather – Avondale Chicago
Rescue Plumbing received a call on one of the coldest days of the winter in the Avondale neighborhood.
The customer let Rescue Plumbing know that their faucets had not been running and that the toilet bowl would not fill after being flushed.
Immediately, the plumber was aware that the call was most likely about frozen pipes considering a winter vortex was pummeling the city on that snowy winter day.
Our plumber responded as quickly as possible because if you don’t act fast the problem can become much larger.
Identifying the problem
Upon arrival, our plumber found that water was not running into the water supply of the building, just as the customer had described.
The plumber proceeded to perform a diagnostic throughout the customer’s home. He ran the faucets, inspected all exposed pipes, and concluded the pipes were in fact frozen. He also checked the water meter to check if water was still flowing into the home.
The plumber used a special pipe thawing machine to defrost the water pipes. It took about a couple of hours to thaw the water pipes. All of our plumbers are trained in ways to thaw pipes carefully and quickly. For this homeowner, our plumber used a propane torch to remove the ice from inside the frozen pipe.
During this step, it was important to be very cautious in order to avoid any further damage.
Pipe Bursts
Whenever your pipes are frozen you should call a plumber right away to avoid property damage!
The plumber will thaw frozen pipes as well as search for any damage the frozen water had caused such as bursts or cracks, and fix them before they cause any significant water damage.
This is exactly what happened. In the case of our Avondale customer, there were several cracks found throughout the piping infrastructure. After defrosting the pipes, the plumber noticed multiple leaks, he quickly found the source in multiple burst pipes.
The burst pipes were repaired by using a pipe cutter to remove several of the burst pipe sections that were discovered. New piping was used to replace the piping that had been removed. After thawing and repairs, the pipes were good as new.
The customer was very happy the pipes were repaired because it prevented any significant and costly damage to their house. The faucets and toilet were flowing freely again and ready for daily use again.
Ways to prevent frozen pipes from bursting
Frozen pipes happen because of extreme temperatures and a lack of heat surrounding the piping system. As already mentioned, water can freeze and expand causing pipes to crack, so always make sure you act as quickly as possible and your home is heated during severe cold weather.
Here are some tips that will help you prevent your pipes from freezing:
Before Winter Weather
Before winter weather is coming make sure you take some simple steps to winterize your home!
During Winter Weather
During a polar vortex or prolonged period of sub-freezing temperatures, take some steps to keep your house free of freezing pipes.
If You Suspect a Freezing Pipe
Even if you take all the steps to prevent a frozen pipe, it can happen. If your water supply stops working or you see frost developing on a pipe, it could mean your pipes are freezing!
Here’s what you should do next:
Note: Individuals should never try thawing with a propane heater in their homes. Our professionals come equipped and trained with that equipment and would be happy to do it safely for you.
Signs of leaking water pipes
Sometimes the extreme cold temperatures of Chicago make it difficult to avoid frozen pipes. You can avoid further damage by identifying the problem as soon as possible. Keep an eye out for the following indicators of frozen pipes:
Rain or Snow Rescue Plumbing Will Come to Your Aid!
Rescue Plumbing will not fail you during the wintertime. We will be at the rescue when your plumbing system experiences frozen water pipes and repair any burst in the water pipe.
Our plumbers are reliable and have all the tools they need to get your plumbing system up and running.
Give us a call at (773) 799-8848 to schedule a free estimate today!
