Toronto Frozen Pipe Repair

If you need reliable, experienced Toronto frozen pipe repair services, then you need them right now—not in a few days or a week. Count on the team of professional plumbers at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Toronto to restore your plumbing system to perfect working order, regardless of the nature, location, or severity of the problem you're experiencing.

How Our Experts Handle Frozen Pipe Repair

Many people assume that, when it comes to frozen pipes, the vulnerable pipes are buried underground—but that's actually a misconception. Plumbing lines need to be buried at a certain depth so they're below the frost line to prevent that exact problem from occurring. It's possible that buried lines could freeze if they weren't installed deep enough, but that's not common.

The vast majority of the time, frozen pipes are found inside walls and under or near fixtures inside a house. This typically happens for one of two reasons: either your heat is off in your house or turned down very low so exposed, uninsulated pipes inside the building that would normally be kept warm by the building's heating system are susceptible to freezing, or there are parts of your house that are under-insulated or uninsulated and the cold is seeping in through exterior walls to cause problems with your plumbing that need frozen pipe repair.

Frozen But Intact

If you have frozen pipes that still seem to be intact and have not burst, it's important to call a plumber right away for frozen pipe repair before the pressure builds up even further and the line develops a leak. Some people prefer to try thawing the lines themselves, but be aware that the thawing process can cause even more damage if it's not done correctly. You may also have a pinhole leak as a result of freezing, so it's important to be totally sure there's no leakage that could cause serious water damage in a very short amount of time.

Our plumbing team's Toronto frozen pipe repair strategy involves these steps:

• Turn off the water supply at your main shutoff valve
• Find where freezing has occurred
• Open taps and flush toilets to empty supply and drain lines
• Slowly warm the frozen section to melt the ice
• Complete thorough inspection for leaks
• Turn the water back on (if no leaks are found)
• Insulate pipes if possible to avoid the further need for frozen pipe repair

Burst Frozen Pipes

If you've had a frozen pipe burst, you technically don't need frozen pipe repair anymore—you need burst pipe repair. Whether it's a tiny leak or a fully broken pipe, it's critically important to get it taken care of right away to return your plumbing system to normal function and avoid the possibility of water damage. The right repair strategy depends on a number of factors, but generally, we would take care of this issue by removing the leaking or broken segment and putting in a new length of PEX piping.

We're Toronto's Number One Choice for Frozen Pipe Repair

Have you made the unpleasant discovery that you're dealing with frozen pipes in your home? The best course of action is to call the reliable team at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Toronto right away for experienced frozen pipe repair. We have the skill and know-how to get the issue resolved quickly and efficiently, without causing any further damage to your system. Of course, Toronto frozen pipe repair isn't all we do—local homeowners can rely on us for much more than that, including plumbing repair services, water heater installation, clogged drain cleaning, backwater valve installation, and 24-hour service for emergency situations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Frozen Pipes

What Should I Do When I Discover Frozen Pipes?

The first thing you should do is turn off your water supply at the main shutoff valve, then open the taps on all your faucets to drain out any remaining standing water. Doing so will decrease the pressure inside your supply or drain lines and make them less likely to burst. Next, call our team at Mr. Rooter and we'll send a qualified Toronto plumber to your house as soon as possible to take care of the frozen pipe repair.

How Long Does It Take for Frozen Pipes to Thaw By Themselves?

That really depends on the conditions that caused them to freeze up in the first place. If it happened because the heat was turned off and you turned it back on, it could easily take several hours to unfreeze. In the meantime, the building pressure could cause a problem like a pinhole leak. If your pipes are frozen because of a problem like inadequate insulation and it's still freezing cold outside, they're not going to thaw out by themselves until the weather conditions improve, and it could be far too late to avoid serious damage by that point. That's why we generally don't recommend just waiting for the problem to resolve on its own.

Can I Deal With Frozen Pipes By Dumping Boiling Water Down My Drain?

This may seem like an obvious solution, but it doesn't work—and it could cause worse damage to your frozen pipes. If you have frozen water supply lines, pouring hot water into your drain lines won't make any difference whatsoever. If your drainage system needs frozen pipe repair, its frozen segment is likely a pretty good distance away from your drain. Even if you pour in boiling hot water, it'll cool down by the time it reaches your problem area and won't be able to melt away all ice. And, while this is unlikely, it is possible that steam could create more pressure that essentially serves as the straw that broke the camel's back and burst your line open.

If you're pretty sure you know exactly where the frozen part of your line is, you're able to access it and you want to try thawing it by yourself, the best way to go about it is to slowly warm that segment of frozen pipe from the outside so ice inside melts and loosens up until it can be flushed through your line. You can do that by wrapping an electric heating pad around the pipe, or by blowing hot air on it with an electric hair dryer. It's important to avoid using any kind of open flame device such as a candle, lighter or kerosene heater because it will pose a serious risk of fire, especially when you're trying to maneuver in a small, confined space. You can also place a portable space heater nearby and make sure cabinet doors are open so the warm air can circulate, but remember to monitor the space heater—don't leave it running while you're asleep or out of the house.

How Do I Avoid Needing Frozen Pipe Repair in the Future?

The best way to prevent the need for frozen pipe repair is to ensure that your house has adequate levels of insulation and to leave your heat on when it's freezing cold outside. But realistically, there may be some times when that's not possible. Here are a few tips that may help:

• If you're going to be out of your house for a few days or weeks in winter and you don't want to leave your heat on full blast while no one's home, turn your thermostat down to 10 degrees. Open your bathroom and kitchen cabinet doors to let what little heat your furnace is putting out circulate around the pipes under sinks.
• If you experience a problem like a malfunctioning furnace and your heat is completely off in winter, go around your house and turn on all your faucets so there's a pencil-thin stream of water going down your drain. The movement of water will help prevent freezing inside lines until you're able to get help from an HVAC professional to get your heat back on.
• If you know there's an issue with poor insulation in one part of your house but you can't remedy it with new wall insulation or other measures at the moment, protect the most vulnerable stretches of pipe by insulating the actual pipe itself with spray foam or a foil insulating "jacket."

Call the Expert Plumbers at Mr. Rooter for Frozen Pipe Repair Service

If you need help with frozen pipes right now, rely on the team of expert plumbers at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Toronto. Our friendly customer service staff can be reached by phone to find out more about our service or schedule an appointment.