What To Do If Your Pipes Are Frozen

What To Do If Your Pipes Are Frozen

Here in Cherokee County we’re seeing plenty of frozen temperatures and winter weather so far this yer! Although many of us have enjoyed the snow, this wintry weather we’ve been hit with can also pose some serious plumbing risks. The main plumbing risk your home may be at risk for is frozen pipes. North Georgia typically doesn’t see too many cases of frozen pipes since our winters are generally mild, but this year we’ve seen more and more customers with frozen pipes due to the below freezing temperatures we’re seeing day after day. 

Ideally, your pipes won’t freeze at all. Here are a few easy steps you can take to try and prevent your pipes from freezing. 

  1. Insulate any pipes exposed to cooler air. This can include pipes that run outside your home, in your basement, or in your attic.
  2. Use an insulating dome to cover outdoor faucets and spigots.
  3. Let your indoor faucets drip. This can reduce pressure in the pipes, which drastically lowers your chance of your pipes bursting.

Although these prevention measures can greatly reduce your risk of frozen pipes in your home, these steps are not fool proof! Sometimes mother nature (and your home!) have others plans. In case your pipes DO freeze, here are some steps you can take to fix your frozen pipes and prevent damage to your home.

What To Do If Your Pipes Are Frozen-

  1. Even if your pipes have frozen, keep your indoor faucets open. Once the pipes do begin to melt, allowing water to flow out of the faucets will reduce pressure in the pipes and allow them to melt more quickly.
  2. If you know the location of your frozen pipes, you can help speed up the melting process by applying heat with an electric heating pad applied to the pipes or by aiming an electric hair dryer at the pipes.
  3. Use an electric space heater aimed at the frozen pipes. Remember, if you choose to do this, do not leave the space heater unattended and keep it away from anything flammable.
  4. If you don’t know where your frozen pipes are or believe you may be at risk of damage to your home, call a professional plumber immediately!

For help with your frozen pipes or any other plumbing emergency this winter, call the trusted experts at Masterflo Plumbing at (678) 822-7095 or send us an email! No matter what the weather is like outside, we’re on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

How To Prevent Frozen Pipes

How To Prevent Frozen Pipes

With our recent chilly temperatures, common winter home problems may be at the forefront of your mind. Plumbing problems are never convenient, but not having hot water during the harsh winter months is the ultimate in inconvenient. Besides being inconvenient, frozen pipes can present serious compromises to the health, safety, and integrity of your family and your home and property! Frozen pipes can happen to you, even here in Georgia! 

Don’t get stuck with frozen pipes and no hot water this winter. Read on to find out how to prevent frozen pipes. 

how-to-prevent-frozen-pipes

How To Prevent Frozen Pipes- 

  1. Insulate pipes that are in colder areas of your home with foam.
  2. Wrap pipes that are at risk of freezing with heater tape.
  3. Seal any gaps in insulation near your pipes.
  4. Replace older plumbing.
  5. Call a professional plumber to reroute plumbing that is exposed to the elements.
  6. During particularly freezing temperatures, allow warm air to circulate around pipes in cooler areas of your home. This may mean opening cabinet doors or opening the door to your basement or your garage from your main living space.
  7. Consider keeping the temperature in your home slightly warmer than normal overnight when outside temperatures drop the most drastically.
  8. Turn on your faucets to allow a slow drip overnight. This will ensure that water continues to flow through your pipes.

Taking the necessary precautions to prevent frozen pipes is important, but its still not a guarantee that your pipes won’t freeze this winter. If you find that your pipes are frozen and you are without hot water, call a plumber immediately! Many times frozen pipes can be fixed easily and without resulting in any problems, but sometimes frozen pipes can cause major damage to your home and property.

For more information about the safety of you, your family, and your home during freezing winter temperatures, read more from the Red Cross.

For an emergency plumber in your area, call Masterflo Plumbing immediately at (678) 822-7095! We’re on call for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

How To Fix Frozen Pipes

How To Fix Frozen Pipes

Although summer seemed to last forever and our drought this year made the temperatures seem even more sweltering, winter has finally arrived. We’re starting to see some temperatures dip below freezing here in Cherokee County, and although for some of us its a welcome change, it also poses some plumbing risks. Now that traditional winter temperatures and conditions are starting to show up, that may mean that your home may be at risk for frozen pipes! 

frozen pipes

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The ideal situation is to prevent your pipes from freezing. Here are a few easy steps you can take to try and prevent your pipes from freezing-

  1. Insulate any pipes exposed to cooler air. This can include pipes that run outside your home, in your basement, or in your attic.
  2. Use an insulating dome to cover outdoor faucets and spigots.
  3. Let your indoor faucets drip. This can reduce pressure in the pipes, which drastically lowers your chance of your pipes bursting.

frozen pipes

Although these prevention measures can greatly reduce your risk of frozen pipes in your home, these steps are not fool proof! Sometimes mother nature (and your home!) have others plans. In case your pipes DO freeze, here are some steps you can take to fix your frozen pipes and prevent damage to your home.

Fix frozen pipes-

  1. Even if your pipes have frozen, keep your indoor faucets open. Once the pipes do begin to melt, allowing water to flow out of the faucets will reduce pressure in the pipes and allow them to melt more quickly.
  2. If you know the location of your frozen pipes, you can help speed up the melting process by applying heat with an electric heating pad applied to the pipes or by aiming an electric hair dryer at the pipes.
  3. Use an electric space heater aimed at the frozen pipes. Remember, if you choose to do this, do not leave the space heater unattended and keep it away from anything flammable.
  4. If you don’t know where your frozen pipes are or believe you may be at risk of damage to your home, call a professional plumber immediately!

For help with your frozen pipes or any other plumbing emergency this winter, call the trusted experts at Masterflo Plumbing at (678) 822-7095 or send us an email! No matter what the weather is like outside, we’re on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

8 Steps To Prevent Frozen Pipes

8 Steps To Prevent Frozen Pipes

Plumbing problems never seem to come at a convenient time, but not having hot water during the harsh winter months is the ultimate in inconvenient plumbing problems. Besides being inconvenient, frozen pipes can present serious compromises to the health, safety, and integrity of your family and your home and property! Frozen pipes plague millions of Americans each year, and if you live in an area that sees freezing temperatures during the winter, you are at risk of having frozen pipes. Although north Georgia sees milder winters than some places in the United States, many homeowners here still end up with frozen pipes. 

Don’t get stuck with frozen pipes and no hot water this winter, just follow our 8 steps to prevent frozen pipes!

frozen-pipes

8 Steps To Prevent Frozen Pipes- 

  1. Insulate pipes that are in colder areas of your home with foam.
  2. Wrap pipes that are at risk of freezing with heater tape.
  3. Seal any gaps in insulation near your pipes.
  4. Replace older plumbing.
  5. Call a professional plumber to reroute plumbing that is exposed to the elements.
  6. During particularly freezing temperatures, allow warm air to circulate around pipes in cooler areas of your home. This may mean opening cabinet doors or opening the door to your basement or your garage from your main living space.
  7. Consider keeping the temperature in your home slightly warmer than normal overnight when outside temperatures drop the most drastically.
  8. Turn on your faucets to allow a slow drip overnight. This will ensure that water continues to flow through your pipes.

While these 8 steps can surely help prevent frozen pipes, nothing is guaranteed! If you find that your pipes are frozen and you are without hot water, call a plumber immediately! Many times frozen pipes can be fixed easily and without resulting in any problems, but sometimes frozen pipes can cause major damage to your home and property.

For more information about the safety of you, your family, and your home during freezing winter temperatures, read more from the Red Cross.

For an emergency plumber in your area, call Masterflo Plumbing immediately at (678) 822-7095! We’re on call for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

What To Do For Frozen Pipes

What To Do For Frozen Pipes

We’re waking up this morning in Cherokee County to frigid temperatures, blustery winds, and patches of ice on the roadways! Now that traditional winter temperatures and conditions are starting to show up, that may mean that your home is at risk for frozen pipes!

frozen pipes

Here are a few easy ways to prevent frozen pipes-

  1. Insulate any pipes exposed to cooler air. This can include pipes that run outside your home, in your basement, or in your attic.
  2. Use an insulating dome to cover outdoor faucets and spigots.
  3. Let your indoor faucets drip. This can reduce pressure in the pipes, which drastically lowers your chance of your pipes bursting.

frozen pipes

Although these prevention measures can greatly reduce your risk of frozen pipes in your home, these steps are not fool proof! Sometimes mother nature (and your home!) have others plans. In case your pipes DO freeze, here are some steps you can take to prevent damage to your home-

  1. Even if your pipes have frozen, keep your indoor faucets open. Once the pipes do begin to melt, allowing water to flow out of the faucets will reduce pressure in the pipes and allow them to melt more quickly.
  2. If you know the location of your frozen pipes, you can help speed up the melting process by applying heat with an electric heating pad applied to the pipes or by aiming an electric hair dryer at the pipes.
  3. Use an electric space heater aimed at the frozen pipes. Remember, if you choose to do this, do not leave the space heater unattended and keep it away from anything flammable.
  4. If you don’t know where your frozen pipes are or believe you may be at risk of damage to your home, call a professional plumber immediately!

For help with your frozen pipes or any other plumbing emergency this winter, call the trusted experts at Masterflo Plumbing at (678) 822-7095 or send us an email! No matter what the weather is like outside, we’re on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

 

5 Easy Plumbing Tips

5 Easy Plumbing Tips

 

Owning a home can be one of the most rewarding yet challenging opportunities of your adult life. All kinds of things can go wrong that can end up costing you a lot of money. Plumbing problems plague many homeowners, but there are a lot of plumbing tricks that can help save you big bucks.

canton ga plumber

 

Here are a couple of money saving plumbing tricks that every homeowner should know-

  • Maintain your septic tank. Having a backed up septic tank can cost you tons of money. Make sure to only flush things that are flushable. Its a good idea to have your septic tank professionally checked yearly and have it pumped out as needed.
  • Make your own drain cleaner. If you’ve got a bad clog, you can easily make your own drain cleaner. Combine half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar and pour it down the drain. Make sure to flush it out with hot water afterwards. Store bought, chemical drain cleaners can be dangerous for your health and your pipes.
  • Use the right plunger. For sinks, a rubber bowl plunger works best. Toilet plungers have additional plastic that allow them to get inside the opening.
  • Know how to shut off your main water supply. If you have a plumbing emergency, you may not be able to prevent the disaster or prevent any damage, but you can drastically reduce the damage by knowing how to shut off your main water supply. Shutting off the water supply can stop the flow of water if you’ve got a broken pipe or leaky toilet.
  • When cold weather is coming, know how to protect your pipes from freezing and know what to do if they do freeze.

Using these 5 easy plumbing tips can make home ownership just a little bit easier! While following our plumbing tips can help you out, our best tip is to always call a plumber if you aren’t sure what you’re doing or if you have a plumbing emergency! If you need a Canton, GA plumber, call Masterflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

Frozen Pipes: Part 2

Frozen Pipes: Part 2

Last week we talked about frozen pipes and how to prevent them. Because water expands as it freezes, frozen water in your pipes can cause serious problems. The expanding water puts pressure on whatever its inside of- in this case, your pipes. This can cause pipes to break and leak, which can cause tons of damage. Pipes that are most likely to freeze are those that are exposed to the cold like swimming pool supply lines, water sprinkler lines, and water in pipes that are in unheated areas like your basement or garage.

With the cold Georgia winter weather fast approaching, we’re going to talk about how to thaw your frozen pipes. Although preventing frozen pipes is the ideal course of action, no matter how many precautions you take its not 100% possible to always prevent your pipes from freezing.

Here are some tips on dealing with frozen pipes.

  1. If you turn on a faucet and only a small trickle comes out, its likely that you have a frozen pipe.
  2. Keep your faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe, the water will begin to melt and flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help it melt more quickly.
  3. Apply heat to the frozen section of pipe. You can do this by wrapping an electric heating pad around it, using an electric hair dryer, using an electric space heater, or wrapping the pipes with towels soaked in hot water.
  4. Continue applying heat to the pipes until your full water pressure is restored.
  5. Remember- if you find one frozen pipe it is likely that you may have others as well. Check all your faucets!

If you are unable to locate or treat your frozen pipe, call a professional plumber immediately to avoid damage! You can call the trusted professionals at Masterflo 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Call (678) 822-7095!

 

 

Frozen Pipes: Part 1

Major home maintenance problems seem to come at the worst time and can often turn into major disasters! Every winter nearly a quarter-million families in the US have their homes ruined and their lives disrupted every winter due to frozen pipes.

Here in north Georgia we’ve had some chilly nights lately, meaning that winter is on its way! Any pipe inside or outside your home can freeze during the frigid winter weather that we get in Georgia. Frozen pipes can turn into an expensive, ongoing ordeal that can end up costing you tons of money. The good news, though, is that frozen pipes are preventable!

Today we’re going to go over a few tips to help out with frozen pipes.

  1. If there are water supply lines in your garage, keep your garage door closed during cold weather.
  2. Open your kitchen cabinet and bathroom cabinet doors. This will allow warm air from your home to circulate around your plumbing.
  3. Let cold water drip from faucets that are served by exposed pipes. Letting water run through the pipes will help prevent them from freezing.
  4. Keep your thermostat set to the same temperature during the day and night.
  5. If you’re going out of town, don’t set your thermostat lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Come back on Monday to learn how to thaw frozen pipes! In the meantime, if you’ve got a plumbing emergency on your hands, make sure to call the experts you can trust at Masterflo Plumbing! Call (678) 822-7095 today!

 

 

Do You Need An Emergency Plumber?

Do You Need An Emergency Plumber?

While many minor plumbing issues can be handled by a homeowner, there are many more plumbing issues that can’t. Sometimes these issues aren’t pressing and can be handled by your plumber during a routine appointment, but other plumbing issues may require an emergency visit from your plumber. Although its rare to need an emergency plumber, its important to have the number of a trusty worthy and responsive plumber on hand, just in case! 

Knowing when to call an emergency plumber is crucial! Plumbing problems can cause a wide variety of problems for homeowners. A plumbing problem that may seem minor to a homeowner could actually cause serious complications. Plumbing problems can affect the integrity of their home and property, affect the health of the occupants in the home, and can affect how high your water bill is.

Because its not always completely obvious when you need to call an emergency plumber, we’ve put together a list for you.

  1. Flooded basement: This one is pretty obvious! A flooded basement is usually caused by burst pipes. Without immediate attention, your house and property could be subject to even further damage.
  2. Clogged drains: Clogged drains are fairly common place, so this one isn’t as obvious! If your drains do not unclog when you use baking soda, a plunger, or commercial drain cleaner (which we do NOT recommend using), you should call a plumber immediately. Stubborn clogs can lead to burst pipes and are unhygienic.
  3. No water from the faucet: This generally occurs during low temperatures when pipes have frozen. When water freezes and becomes ice, it expands which can cause burst pipes. If your pipes have frozen, call a plumber immediately to avoid burst pipes and even more damage.
  4. Bad smell: If there is a bad smell coming from your drains, this is a sign that your sewer pipes may be leaking. Leaking sewer pipes can cause damage to your property and is also a huge health risk to humans and pets.
  5. Exceptionally high water bill and/or the sound of running water: If you don’t believe that your water consumption has gone up (be sure to take into account if you’re doing any outdoor watering!), but your water bill has increased or you can hear running water even when all faucets are turned off, you may have a slab leak. A slab leak can lead to extensive damage and repairs can be costly. To avoid any further damage, you should call an emergency plumber as soon as possible.

At Masterflo Plumbing, we pride ourselves on being extremely responsive and available to our customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! If you need an emergency plumber, or even if you think you may need an emergency plumber, don’t hesitate to call us any time of the day or night! We’ll come out immediately to assess the problem, determine your needs, and find a customized solution just for you!  Call your dependable, local emergency plumber today at (678) 822-7095!