Frozen and broken pipes

Attention citizens of Connecticut: We want to prevent your pipes from freezing and breaking with our winterization services. If it’s to late for that do not fret we can also fix your broken or frozen pipes tonight.  If you live in CT and need a plumber call us any time day or night at  203-850-5359 or 203-556-7167

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My next door neighbor’s main water line broke yesterday, and the main shut off valve didn’t work, the water company wasn’t quick to answer the phone either. It wasn’t a total disaster because the house is being remodelled, but before I found out about it and was able to get a curb key to turn the water off at the water companies shut off valve at the street connection the entire crawl space was flooded.

*For those of you home owners of beach houses, cottages, bungalows (like me).  It’s very important we take extra precautions to protect our pipes from freezing and breaking this and every winter.*

Typical frozen & broken pipe issues:

Most frozen and broken pipes happen at outdoor faucets/ hose bibs, and out door showers. This situation is usually easy to deal with (get water to stop) because their are normally/should be, corresponding shut off valves on the other side of the fixture/ei wall.(in the basement, crawl space, garage, or possibly an attached shed) If you can find the local shut off valve and get it off, you can deal with the repair in the spring.  If you can’t find it, or them, turn off the houses main water supply line, and call your plumber

For more significant problems!

Any broken pipes associated with the heating system must be dealt with right away, forget the plumber for now, you need to turn off the boiler before it fries itself out. (boilers will break running without water).  The Fastest, easiest way to do turn off your boiler is by flipping the emergency shut off switch to the off position, their is always one switch located right on/ near the boiler, and many times their is a second emergency boiler shut off switch at the top of the basement stair case.  The emergency switch flip covers are usually red.  After you turn the boiler off, locate the boiler’s water shut off valve.   The boilers water supply shut off valve will be on a 1/2 cold water line.  It will be the only 1/2 inch cold water line attached at (both ends) the the boiler and the houses water system. If you find it turn it off, but if it’s really old it may not turn to easily. (don’t get confused with a relief valve, which may have a 1/2, line but it ends just above the floor/only attached at one end)  If you can’t find the direct shut off valve for the boiler, shut the water off to the entire house.  Then call the plumber

Serious broken pipe situations!

Old beach houses, or any house with  low crawl spaces, dirt floors, or is poorly insulated can experience extraordinary serious broken pipes and flooding problems. I’ve seen some beach houses have 6- 8 different broken pipes in the same night.  When a serious broken pipe issues happens the only thing you can do it try to turn the water off at the 1st shut off valve that enters the house.  (assuming the broken pipe is in the house/ after that point.) If it’s a water line is broken under ground their is nothing you can do expect call the water company.

When/ How to tell you pipes are frozen?

When you turn on the faucet, or shower and the water doesn’t flow during single digit temperatures.

When/ how to tell the pipes are broken?

When you see water where it shouldn’t be, or if you hear the sound of spraying water where you never have heard before.

How to protect your home from the most serious broken pipe problems.

(For you home owners on or near the beach especially, with crawl spaces like me)  The wind whips off the water towards your house. If their is any open trap/access doors, gaps in the foundation, the cold wind will rip under your house, and unprotected water lines are extremely vulnerable to freezing and breaking without the proper precautions.

Wind-  Winter winds really whip especially at night.  Cold air will pour through any small opening during strong conditions.

• The proper precautions would be: make sure all the trap doors, and access panels are closed.  Take a walk around the house and make sure because over the year cracks can a peer, and access doors may not be closed properly.
• Look for large gaps in the foundation or anywhere under the house for that matter, stuff pieces of insulation into them to plug them up.

Extreme cold-  In extreme cold your crawl space even protected from the direct gusts of wind will get just as cold as the outside temperature.    Old houses, mostly old beach houses, cottages up and down Connecticut have their water supply lines and meters under the house in the crawl space, in the case you should do a couple things. .

• Dig about 10 inches down around /under the main water line if possible.  (So you can wrap the heat tape and insulation  around the pipe starting below the ground level)
• Buy pipe insulation, and heat tape, home improvement stores sell both items.  Basically it’s a roll of insulated wiring that “heats” up, which prevents 1 pipe from freezing. It comes in various lengths, your going to want enough to get from the ground where the main line comes threw the ground to where ever it enters the house.
• You start at the ground level and twist the heat tape around the water line till you run out.  The heat tape will have either have a built in thermostat (that should be taped securely in place so the proper contact is made) which turns it’s self on when the temperature gets low enough, and another type that basically stays on all winter once plugged in.  After wrapped with heat tape, your going to want to wrap the water pipe & heat wrap with pipe insulation, and then wrap that pipe insulation with electrical tape to keep in place nice and tight.

This is a great line of defence.  Unfortunately, their are a lot of hack contractors in the world today, and if your house wasn’t built according to the proper building codes a frozen & broken pipe could happen anywhere.

Note: If you don’t know where your main shut off valve is look by the water meter, you need to know where you meter and correspondence shut off valve is in case of emergency.  The main water supply line is made of either copper, brass, or black plastic pipe, 3/4 – 1 inch in diameter.  The water line come up from under the house into your basement or crawl space where it meets the water companies meter.  If you having a hard time finding it check in any small hatch doors, basement closets, behind the huge pile of junk in your basement etc.  If you live in a condo, your main water supply line will most likely be either near you hot water heater, or under the kitchen sink.  Their has to be at least one shut off valve some where in your home.   If you pipes break any where in, or under the house try turning it off the main shut off valve.  Can’t find it, call your water company asap, or a plumber that owns a curb key to turn the water off at the street.

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