Don’t ‘Let It Go’! 5 Frozen Plumbing Hazards & How To Deal With Them

The cold weather can be particularly unforgiving in the northern states below the Great Lakes. Illinois is known for its scenic winter landscapes and windy Chicago, but that’s hardly the tip of the iceberg with the surprises that winters bring; frozen plumbing!

Glenview experiences a lot of inclement weather, which means frozen pipes & plumbing are just as common as clogging and sewage backup. As your trusted plumbing contractor, Bill’s Plumbing & Sewer know it’s a bit early, but you need to prepare your plumbing for the coming winters.

Potential Hazards of Frozen Pipes

1. No Running Water

The most apparent inconvenience is the lack of water accompanied by weird groaning sounds when you turn on the shower. If you’re a property manager with top dollar tenants, that’s your top dollar frozen by the appeal. No water is like a domino effect; it affects the way a person’s day will go.

2. Pipes Bursting

Frozen pipes can go beyond a mere inconvenience to unreasonable forces of nature. If you’ve seen enough burst beer bottles left forgotten in the freezer, you know that water expands on freezing. When winters freeze the water in your feed pipes, be ready to hear some horrendous sounds coming from your crawlspace as the pipes burst.

3. Clogged Drains

Forget your landscaping for the season and think about your drains. If they’re French, they’re just frozen. Even with no water present to flow about, your drains need to be clean for any deiced melts.

4. Overworked Sump Pumps

Oh, this one won’t start bothering you until it’s time for the spring melt, but still. Winter is sump pump maintenance time, so clean out that sump pit of organic debris and grime before it freezes around the contraption and clogs it by the time of the melt.

5. Icy Sewage & Septic Tanks

Sorry to be the bearer of such malodorous news, but if your septic tanks are not insulated properly, then that hell shall indeed freeze over and cause you much grief with waste disposal. Sewage and septic lines are heavily reliant on sufficient soil insulation to protect against frigid temperatures.

How To Deal with Frozen Plumbing?

Don’t wait for the freeze to progress. Take reactive measures to thaw your frozen pipes. Pour hot salty water down your house’s drains. Deicer solutions work best for basic frozen clogs. But if your feedwater lines and septic tanks have solidified, then it’s time you called Bill’s Plumbing & Sewer to conduct a thorough inspection and get started with the thawing process.

Every frozen situation is unique. You can thaw a frozen kitchen sink with a hairdryer, or you can switch up to sewer pipe repair to get your pipes unblocked. Feedwater lines require more sensitive care so as not to contaminate water fit for human consumption, and we are also equipped to deal with that.

It’s best if you schedule an inspection with us in Glenview to proactively clear & insulate your plumbing before winters arrive in full effect. You are welcome to request free estimates on our services, so don’t hesitate!

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