Frozen pipes | How to thaw a frozen pipe | thaw frozen tap

In this video I thaw out a frozen outside tap and also the main incoming water pipe for a domestic property. Remember that copper pipes can split during the freezing process, as the water expands. When the water thaws it can cause a flood, so always be aware of the dangers of freezing copper pipes and take precautions if necessary. A frozen pipe can be thawed out using a hot water bottle, a heat gun, hair dryer or you can even use a blow torch set to low heat, providing your pipes are metal (do not use a blowtorch on plastic pipes).

[bfdred]

Thank you so much! Thanksgiving 2024 in Minnesota and we had a huge cold snap (single digits) and I’ve been stuck with a frozen hose on the spigot and no temps to help me out for the foreseeable future. This worked in under 5 minutes! Thanks again!!!

[ultimatehandyman]

I’m a bit delicate this morning, after a few too many Benedictine coffee’s last night.
I hope everyone has a great Sunday 👍

[acaliaaidras]

Thank you from the southern US. We're not used to freezing temps here and our spigots froze - one affecting the cold water in our bathroom. Used your method and it worked liked a charm.

[bbbro]

Worked great on a 156 year old house in Atlanta. Thank you!!!

[ksagun]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! We had a hard freeze last night in Washington DC and I completely forgot to leave the taps dripping, one of them froze and I was in a panic. This worked perfectly! I was able to unscrew the hose and though the tap was too close to the outside wall to rest on the bag on its own, I opened up the top of the bag and immersed the tap for about another minute, it loosened up the ice beautifully. Thank you again!!!!

[perfectsoulmates]

As the 70th comment I must say THANK YOU because this works 100% ♥️

[eyerollthereforeiam]

Hello, Ultimate Handyman. You're right, where I am in Canada, - 9 C is nothing remarkable. For our outside faucets, we generally have a shutoff valve inside the house, with a drain. One of winter preparations is to shut off that valve, and remove the small cap and drain the water out between it and the faucet. This valve is lower than the faucet to allow drainage. I don't know if this is a common practice in Britain, but it is here.. Or else!

[lazylad]

It's been a tad cold for two week. I had to turn heating on. Thanks for the demo. Boiler overflow pipes have been freezing. Had to pour boiling water on to defrost it. 👍👍

[yutr]

That was the most helpful result I found BY FAR. Subscribed immediately

[aaronvallejo]

We bought a 1912 old two story house on the Canadian prairies and during the first week the water pipes to the kitchen froze. They were running up the exterior wall from the basement. I insulated the wall as much as possible and never had a problem since. High insulation is the key to frozen water pipes and winter comfort.

[cammie]

MY I thought this was some BS hack. My pipes have been frozen for 2 days do to this polar vortex the southern part of the US is experiencing. I tried the heater and other stuff yesterday but today I tried the water in the Ziploc bag. It didn't seem to be working but about 30 seconds after I took it off water came gushing out of the pipe! My plumber showed up 15 minutes later pissed because he thought he was going to charge me some outrageous fee. Sir, if we were closer I'd buy you a beer!

[phonotd]

I remember, when I was very young, my dad used to prop the attic trap door slightly open and leave taps slowly dripping to prevent freezing pipes. How times have changed. 😆

[SirCarcass]

Wow, this actually worked quite well. I had two faucets that were frozen and had tried a few things with no success, but this got them both flowing after about 10 minutes. Thank you!

[HisLoveEmpowersMiracles]

This worked perfectly! Thank you from Texas!!! 👏👏👏👏👏😀

[CaseyAvalon]

Hi, I used the warm water bag method for my outdoor spigot and I finally got it unfrozen and my ducks thank you so much!!! 🦆🦆🦆👍🤠

[Ahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Cheers mate 👍🏼

Garden will be like an ice rink though whose using outdoor taps in this weather 😂❄️❄️

[ericglass]

Worked great on two frozen outdoor faucets! Took less then two minutes 20F

[blackpietto]

Thanks for the video. Is insulating the pipe with foam before these weather conditions a solid solution to prevent frozen pipes?

[freespirit]

Excellent vid 👍👍👍worked great
Can I ask what type of spanner I need to undo nut on faucet??
it looks like it has hexagon shape and my normal spanner isn't working

[janefarquharson]

Thank you I need the outside tap for hose as washing pea gravel bless you 😉