Frozen and Burst Pipe Repair in Erie

Frozen pipes are a fact of winter in Erie. The city sits in the Lake Erie snow belt with an average of 104.3 inches of snow a year, and a GLISA station summary for Erie's airport lists about 100 days a year below 32 F. Most homes in the city were built before 1960, many with pipes run along outside walls or through crawl spaces that were never insulated for this kind of cold.

Signs a pipe is frozen

• A faucet gives a trickle or nothing at all, while other taps work.
• Frost on a visible pipe in the basement, crawl space or under a sink.
• A toilet will not refill.
• An odd smell from a drain, because a frozen line can block the vent or drain path.

The pipe that froze is usually between the dead faucet and the point where the line runs closest to the outside: an exterior wall, a sill plate, an unheated porch or a garage.

How to thaw a frozen pipe safely

1. 1
   Open the faucet the pipe feeds, both hot and cold. Moving water helps the ice melt, and the open tap relieves pressure.
2. 2
   Warm the pipe slowly, starting at the faucet end and working back toward the frozen section. A hair dryer, a heating pad or towels soaked in hot water all work.
3. 3
   Warm the room. Open the cabinet doors under the sink and turn up the heat.
4. 4
   Keep going until full flow returns, then check the pipe and the wall for drips.

Never use a torch, a propane heater or any open flame on a pipe. It can start a fire inside the wall, and heating a frozen steel pipe fast can make it burst. If you cannot reach the frozen section, or more than one fixture is dead, call a plumber.

When the pipe has already burst

Ice expands, and old pipe is often the first to give. A split may not leak until the ice melts, which is why many Erie basements flood on the first warm day after a deep freeze. If you see water:

1. 1
   Close the main water valve right away.
2. 2
   Open a low faucet to drain the lines.
3. 3
   Switch off power to any wet area, if you can do so from a dry spot.
4. 4
   Call for a burst pipe repair.

A plumber will cut out the split section and replace it. In older Erie homes this is often the time to talk about what the pipe is made of. Galvanized steel from the 1940s and earlier rusts from the inside and is hard to join to newer pipe, so replacing a longer run can be the better repair.

How to keep pipes from freezing in Erie

• Keep the heat at a steady temperature day and night during a cold snap, even when you are away.
• Open sink cabinet doors on outside walls so warm air reaches the pipes.
• On the coldest nights, let a faucet on an outside wall drip slowly.
• Disconnect garden hoses in the fall and shut off the inside valve that feeds each outdoor spigot, then open the spigot to drain it.
• Seal drafts near pipes, such as gaps around dryer vents, sill plates and basement windows.
• Insulate pipes in crawl spaces, unheated porches and garages with foam sleeves.
• Know where your main shutoff is before winter, and make sure it turns.

If the same pipe freezes every year, ask a plumber about moving it to a warmer wall or adding heat cable rated for pipes. A one time fix is cheaper than a flooded basement.

Leaving an Erie house empty in winter

Snowbirds, landlords and families selling a relative's home face a real risk in Erie. If a house will sit empty during the cold months, keep the heat on, have someone check it regularly, and think about shutting off the main and draining the lines. A plumber can winterize the system properly, including the water heater and toilets.

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