While most substances contract as they freeze, water expands – and bursts pipes. This is bad news for a homeowner who leaves water in exposed pipes in winter – or who suffers a furnace failure.

There are three stages in the freezing and rupture of a pipe:

- frost forms on inner surfaces;

- ice crystals take shape;

- the pipe cracks.

To prevent such disasters, drain outdoor piping or use freezproof valves and melt freeze-ups quickly.

To get advice on how to prevent pipes from freezing go to our Toronto Plumbing company website and get more Toronto Plumber’s tips.

If pipes do freeze, the first sign may be a faucet that refuses to yield water. But all too often, the freeze-up is announced by a flood from a break. Water expands about 8 per cent in volume as it begins to freeze, generating pressure that splits pipes, especially where expansion is impeded by joints or bends. Ice may form throughout a long straight section of supply line before it meets an obstruction and cracks the pipe; thus, the entire length of pipe that supplies a stopped faucet should be considered suspect, both for ice blockages and leaks.

When you prepare to thaw a section of pipe, keep the affected faucet open to let vapor and melting ice run out. Then turn off water supply once you have located the leaks and marked them for repairs. After temporary patches have been applied to the damaged areas, open the main shutoff partway; the movement of water through the frozen section of pipe will aid the thawing process. The surrounding area should be guarded against water damage in the event that any other leaks have gone undetected.

Electric heaters of one kind or another are generally safest for thawing. However, freeze-ups often occur during power failures and in such a case you are likely to have to use another source of heat.

To book an appointment with plumber for Pipes Thawing of other plumbing repair and installation services ask Toronto Plumber.