Uh oh, did it happen to you? We get it—frozen pipes are the worst! And we don’t want to sound like a broken record, but we did warn you to protect your pipes from freezing at the beginning of winter. It’s okay, though, we understand accidents happen. That’s why we’ve put together a simple guide to help you out of this icy situation before things get a lot worse. Here’s what you should do if your sewer pipes freeze:
Find the Freeze
First are foremost, you’ll want to find the exact location where the pipe has frozen. You may want to start looking in the most susceptible places such as an outdoor sewer access pit, basement, crawl space, or any room that isn’t insulated.
Turn off Water
If you find that the frozen blockage is located in the drainpipe, you’ll want to turn off the water supply. Doing this will help lessen the amount of water that will come spilling out of cracks during the thawing phase.
Time to Defrost
Now for the hard part: If you can access the frozen sewer line, there are two home remedies you can try. The easiest method is using a space heater to warm the air around the pipe. This may take a few hours, so be patient. If this doesn’t do the trick, insert a garden hose into the sewer line until it hits the frozen area. Slowly begin to spew HOT water into the pipe ensuring the warmth is reaching the affected area.
Maintain the Grounds
As the pipes begin to thaw, especially from the garden hose method, you may encounter water leaks. Keep the ground as dry as possible using towels, buckets, a mop, you name it!
Contact the Experts
When in doubt, get help. You’re not alone in this mess. If you’re struggling to locate the frozen sewer pipe or don’t feel confident attempting to thaw them yourself using these tips, just call us to the rescue! We’ll have the job completed for you in no time.
Now the good news is that sewer and drainage pipes don’t freeze as often as freshwater pipes. However, if they do, you may have a sewer line that wasn’t properly installed—don’t worry! We can also inspect your septic system to ensure your pipes are properly aligned and prevent this from happening in the future. Give us a call at (603) 945-7355 or send us a message to get started.