Frozen and Burst Pipe Repair in Flagstaff

In most of Arizona a frozen pipe is a rare event. In Flagstaff it is part of owning a house. At 6,821 feet, the city usually sees freezing temperatures from near the end of September until early June, it averages 90.1 inches of snow a year, and its record low is minus 30 F. That gives cold air most of the year to find a pipe that was run too close to the outside of the house.

How to tell a pipe is frozen

• One faucet gives a trickle or nothing, while others still work.
• You can see frost on a pipe in the crawl space, garage or under a cabinet.
• A toilet tank stops refilling after a flush.
• A drain smells odd or gurgles, since ice can block a drain or vent line too.

The frozen section is usually somewhere between the dead faucet and the point where that pipe passes nearest the cold: an outside wall, a crawl space vent, a garage wall or a cantilevered floor.

Thawing a frozen line safely

1. 1
   Open the faucet that the pipe feeds, both hot and cold sides. Running water speeds up the melt, and an open tap gives pressure somewhere to go.
2. 2
   Apply gentle heat, beginning near the faucet and moving back toward the ice. A hair dryer, an electric heating pad or towels soaked in hot water all work.
3. 3
   Warm the space around the pipe. Open cabinet doors and raise the thermostat.
4. 4
   Keep at it until the flow is back to normal, then look along the pipe and the wall for drips.

Never put a torch, a propane heater or any open flame near a pipe. It can set the framing alight inside the wall. If you cannot get at the frozen section, or several fixtures are dead at once, call a plumber.

When the pipe has already split

Ice takes up more room than water, and something has to give. A crack often stays dry until the ice melts, so the leak shows up hours later, sometimes on the first sunny afternoon after a hard freeze. If you find water:

1. 1
   Close the main water valve straight away.
2. 2
   Open a low faucet to drain the lines.
3. 3
   Cut power to any wet area, but only from a dry spot.
4. 4
   Call for a burst pipe repair.

A plumber will cut out the damaged section and replace it. This is also a good moment to ask whether that run should be moved to an interior wall so it does not freeze again next year.

Freeze protection for Flagstaff homes

• Keep the heat steady day and night during a cold spell, even if you are leaving town.
• Open sink cabinets on outside walls so room heat can reach the pipes.
• On the coldest nights, let a faucet on an exterior wall drip slowly.
• In early fall, unhook garden hoses, close the inside valve feeding each outdoor spigot and open the spigot to drain it.
• Seal cold air leaks around crawl space vents, sill plates and pipe holes.
• Wrap pipes in crawl spaces and garages with foam insulation, or ask about heat tape rated for plumbing.
• Learn where the main shutoff is and make sure it actually turns.

Cabins, second homes and empty rentals

Many Flagstaff properties sit empty for weeks at a time: vacation homes, cabins in the pines and rentals between tenants. With freezing weather possible for so much of the year, an empty house with the heat turned down is a real risk. Keep it heated, arrange for someone to check on it, and think about shutting off the main and draining the lines before a long absence. A plumber can winterize the system properly, including the water heater, toilets and any outdoor fixtures.

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