Thaw Frozen Pipes With Salt Water
At the time of this writing, wide swaths of the Midwest and Northeast are buried under mountains of snow, and the Pacific Northwest staggers to a standstill under, well, about two inches of material, but they’re not used to it, okay? It’s safe to say this winter was no joke, and you may feel the aftermath in the form of a homeowners nightmare: frozen pipes. Fortunately, if you are suffering this way, there is an easy solution – salt water.
While a heater, hair dryer, or any other heating mechanism can usually help, if you don’t have any of these things on hand to help you get rid of the cold, you can simply drain the salt water down a drain to defrost. frozen pipes. Boil about a gallon of water and start pouring in the salt until it stops dissolving. Once you’re done, drain the hot and salt water down the drain, where it will hopefully melt quickly in these pipes. Why does it work? According to Eastern Plumbing , adding salt to the water lowers the melting point of the ice, which means you can defrost pipes much faster. But there are also some steps you can take to keep your pipes from freezing in the first place.
One of them is surprisingly simple . According to Angie’s list , opening the cabinet door under the sink can help prevent hypothermia.
In freezing weather, leave cabinet doors open under sinks in your kitchen or bathroom (especially if they are located against an outer wall) so that warmer air in the room can circulate through the pipes. You can also put a flashlight with an incandescent light bulb near the pipes. Be sure to remove all flammable substances from this area to prevent fire.
Meanwhile, The Home Depot offers some simple tips for insulating your pipes with Styrofoam – a small investment that can save you a lot of headaches during the snow season. This article was originally published in January 2011 and was updated on February 12, 2021 and now includes more information and additional tips to prevent freezing pipes.