It is not probable that homeowners in urban communities will often be troubled with frozen pipes unless they go away for several weeks and leave their home unheated during a protracted spell of freezing weather. If you are contemplation such an absence, the water , should be shut off and pipes drained. But, if you should find a frozen pipe, certain steps are advisable. Freezing water expands and sometimes cracks pipe or fittings. So the first thing to do is to look for cracks. Much of the water supply pipe in houses are concealed within walls, and thus it is more protected and less likely to freeze. If you find a section in the cellar that is frozen and cracked, replace it immediately. Shut off the water supply at the main shut-off valve. Disconnect the pipe at the nearest union, after providing for pails to catch water that runs down from non-frozen higher sections. Replace the cracked pipes and reconnect the system.
If your original inspection disclosed no cracked pipes, open all faucets and begin applying heat from faucet end of the frozen section. Bath towels soaked in hot water and wrapper around the pipe are a safe method. Be sure to catch or mop up water that drains off. If the frozen section is in the cellar and not too close to inflammable objects, a blowtorch can be used to heat the pipe. Move the torch back and forth along the pipe to avoid concentrating too much heat at one point. Such heat of course would be carried along the pipe, so playing the torch on a free section would help thaw an adjoining section which might rest against wood. If a piece of asbestos is available it should be used to protect wood from the torch. Pouring boiling water over pipe is another good way to thaw it out.
Electricity can be employed~to thaw pipes but it is inadvisable for amateur plumbers to use this method as the danger of a serious electric shock is great. Only experienced electrical workers should attempt it.
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