As temperatures warm over the coming days, we are expecting another round of frozen pipes to burst across the Mid-South.
Last January, Chrisann Conway dealt with a flooded home due to a frozen pipe that burst while she was on vacation with her husband. After getting her entire kitchen replaced, she’s now dealing with another frozen pipe.
“It’s not a good feeling because it makes you feel a little vulnerable,” says Conway. “We’ve been hyper-vigilant about actually spending as much time in the house as we can.”
Unfortunately for Conway, that pipe burst later in the day. So what can you do if you have a frozen pipe?
If you know where the frozen part of the pipe is located, you can try to thaw the area using an electric heating pad or hair dryer. In this case, the Conways had a space heater. But Lt. Wayne Cooke with the Memphis Fire Department stresses not using any sort of open flame to fix the problem. It’s part of the reason house fires are on the increase this time of year.
“Call in a licensed professional because you can make that small problem greater,” says Lt. Cooke. “You can heat that insulation. That insulation can ignite and then set the house on fire.”
MLGW officials also recommend trying to turn off the main water valve inside your house and contacting their emergency line to avoid the painful reality Conway is now dealing with for a second time.
MLGW’s emergency line is 901-528-4465.
