If you live in a region of the world that can experience sub-freezing temperatures, frozen pipes are among the #1 dangers to your plumbing during the winter. Without proper precautions, frozen pipes can end up causing serious damage to your plumbing that will result expensive replacement work.
What is so destructive about frozen pipes? It’s more than just blocking up the water flow: a frozen pipe can easily cause ruptures… and not for the reasons that you might think.
When you need plumbing repairs in Salt Lake City because of burst pipes or any other damage, turn to Design Comfort and our team of professional plumbers for help. We have around the clock emergency service for whenever you need us.
The dangers of frozen pipes
When water freezes, its hydrogen and oxygen molecules settle into a pattern that creates greater volume than in its liquid state. If you’ve ever put a glass of water in the freezer, you’ll see this in action: the glass will crack because of the increased volume of the ice.
However, this isn’t the reason that freezing pipes burst. The metal and plastic construction of modern piping is strong and flexible enough to resist the swell of size when water freezes to ice. The actual cause of bursting pipes is pressure from the unfrozen water that gets trapped between the ice plugs and a closed faucet. And this happens when the pipes begin to thaw. So technically, the thawing of ice inside the pipes is what makes frozen pipes so damaging.
You can help prevent this problem by letting faucets trickle a bit through the night when you know the temperature will be extremely low; the water movement through the pipes helps prevent freezing. However, the most efficient way of stopping pipe-freeze is with proper insulation along your plumbing. Contact an experienced plumber to help you prep your pipes against the cold. You can also summon a plumber to help you carefully thaw your pipes without causing damage to them.
From winter to spring
Winter is ending and spring has arrived, so make sure that you don’t have any frozen pipes that might turn into burst pipes as the warm weather arrives. For the plumbing repair in Salt Lake City, UT that will keep your pipes healthy, contact Design Comfort. We’ve helped residents solve their plumbing issues successfully since 1982.
