Frozen pipes are difficult to deal with and can do a significant amount of damage if they burst.
This is why you have to be alert and make sure you are also incorporating proactive measures to avoid a situation where the pipes freeze in the winter.
If the pipes are already frozen, you will want to find out how to unfreeze the pipes as soon as possible. This includes asking, will alcohol thaw frozen pipes?
Alcohol can thaw frozen pipes assuming there’s still running water inside. If not, the alcohol will do more damage than good and it is not recommended as a viable solution for a frozen pipe.
It’s better to use warmth as a way to heat the pipe and ensure it’s not a complete block of ice inside.
This article is going to take a look at a few tips on how to thaw frozen pipes and what to use during the process.
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How To Thaw Frozen Pipes
1. Turn On Cold Water Faucet On Lowest Floor
Instead of using alcohol, you are going to want to follow a specific set of steps.
The first step is going to be to go to the lowest part of the property. In most cases, this is going to be the basement.
If there is no basement, you will want to locate the laundry room in the house.
From here, you are going to want to turn on the cold water faucet in this part of the house. The goal is to have the water flowing downward.
You will want to be careful while doing this.
If you believe the pipe is going to burst and/or it is already damaged then do not do this. Instead, look to move on to the next step right away.
You can turn on the cold water faucet later when the frozen pipe has thawed a little bit using heat.
2. Apply Direct Heat To The Frozen Pipe
Now it is time to look at how you are going to thaw a frozen pipe at home.
To thaw a frozen pipe, you will need to use heat. This is the only way you are going to cause the ice inside the pipe to melt and turn into liquid.
So, what type of heat should you use to melt ice in a pipe?
You will want to use any direct heat such as a hairdryer.
This is going to allow you to target specific spots on the frozen pipe that will allow the ice to melt evenly.
Continue to do this on the spots that are clearly frozen.
3. Increase Internal Temperature Around The Pipe
You will also want to take a more well-rounded approach to melting the ice and also making sure the pipes don’t freeze again.
To do this, you are going to increase the room temperature near the pipe.
This is going to be by increasing the overall heating in the house and/or setting up a room heater near the pipe. It depends on the layout of the house and where the pipes are.
By doing this, you are going to increase the room temperature and that will ensure the pipes don’t freeze again.
4. Check The Water Flow
The last step is to see if the pipes have started working again.
If there is still ice inside the pipe, you are going to notice is lack of hissing coming from the pipe because water is not going to flow through.
This will be a gradual change as the ice melts.
You will want to continue listening to the pipe by turning on the cold water faucet and seeing if the water is flowing through. It will start slowly but it is eventually going to start flowing as it should.
Until you are satisfied, continue to apply heat to the frozen pipe at home.
This is how you are going to get it to work the way you want.
Final Thoughts
Will alcohol thaw frozen pipes?
Alcohol can thaw frozen pipes assuming there is flowing water inside. If it is a complete block of ice, the alcohol will do more harm than good as it will increase the rigidity of the pipe. It is best to use a hairdryer and/or room heater instead.
This is the only way to make sure the frozen pipe does thaw evenly.
When doing this, you have to take your time and make sure to pay attention to the frozen pipe. It is the pipe that is going to let you know what is working and what is not.
This includes when it’s the right time to turn on the cold water faucet.
Go through the steps here and your pipes will be good to go.
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