4 Tips To Inspect Your Plumbing During Thawing To Prevent Serious Damage In Your Home

Posted on: 10 February 2019

When it is extremely cold outside, and the cold air begins to recede, the frozen areas like pipes begin to thaw. This can lead to problems that you did not see before to surface quickly and cause serious damage to your home. During the thawing of the frozen pipes, leaks and other problems develop that can cause serious damage to your home. The following tips will help you keep an eye on your pipes as they thaw to prevent damage to your home:

1. Exterior Pipes and Plumbing Problems During the Big Thaw

Pipes are installed inside and outside of your home. Your exterior plumbing is the irrigation system, pool and hot tub plumbing or the main water service line to your home. During deep freezing, the ground can freeze to depths where it causes damage to these lines. This problem can cause damage like erosion and high water bills. Look for signs of leaks like puddles and soft soils in your landscaping near pipes, and have these problems repaired.

2. Dealing with Fittings That Eventually Leak as Your Pipes Begin to Thaw

When the fittings of pipes freeze and there are drastic changes in temperatures, it causes them to work loose and to leak. As the pipes around your home begin to thaw, check for problems with leaks at fittings that may have been damaged by freezing. Usually, the repairs are as simple as reconnecting the fitting with new seals, which can help prevent serious damage to your home from the leaks that these problems create.

3. Problems with Sewer and Septic Lines Clogging When Plumbing Freezes

There are also problems with sewer and septic lines that can surface after pipes begin to thaw. This is due to the pipes freezing and becoming blocked with waste. The problems with clogged pipes will require the help of a drain cleaning service to remove the blockage and get drains flowing again after the ice has thawed.

4. Pipes That Burst and Do Not Surface Until They Thaw and The Water Begins To Flow

Sometimes, the pipes in your home may burst and the water freezes around the pipes and the ice will temporarily stop water from coming in. As the pipes begin to thaw, you will be able to see where they are leaking and will need to turn the lines off and get the problems repaired as soon as possible.

Keep an eye on your pipes as the weather gets warmer and they begin thawing to prevent damage to your home. If you think there are problems with your pipes, contact a septic pumping service to have them deal with septic issues after the freeze.  

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