So, something terrible has happened. A pipe in your home has frozen in the cold weather, and you have no idea what to do! This is a serious situation, since a frozen pipe can crack and cause all kinds of problems. First, don’t panic. While the problem is serious, you could make things worse by rushing in and trying to fix everything quickly. If you have a blowtorch or something similar available, you might be tempted to use it to thaw out your pipe, but this could actually lead to doing more damage. If the pipe is plastic, it could melt, and metal pipes that are heated up too quickly could crack. You also shouldn’t ever pour hot water directly on a frozen pipe. Instead, you need to take a slow, patient approach. Using a hair dryer or a heat gun is much safer, since this will thaw the pipe out at a slower pace.
To relieve pressure on the pipe, you can open up all the faucets that are connected to it. This will lessen the chance of the pipe breaking when you’re working on it. If you find all this overwhelming, it is never wrong to get the help of a professional.
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