Local plumber offers tips to prevent frozen pipes

WEST MONROE, La. (KNOE) - With unusual freezing weather, local plumbers say to wrap your exposed water pipes.

Plumbers are receiving a high volume of calls on how to prevent pipes from freezing or how to thaw pipes.

Jerry Sykes Jr, Owner of Jerry’s Plumbing and Repair, says if you do wrap your pipes, they may still freeze depending on the location.

“If you don’t have a faucet on or any kind of relief, the wind chill and the temperatures itself will cause it to swell up at which point it will burst,” Sykes said.

He says there are some ways to prevent a freeze.

“You should open your kitchen cabinets and your vanity cabinets to allow the heat from the house to get there to the pipes,” Sykes said. “Leave your faucets dripping hot and cold in different fixtures that way you can know what kind of stream you have. Cover your outside house bib or wrap them.”

If they do freeze, Sykes says there is not much you can do.

“At that point, it’s really a waiting game of when they thaw out. There’s some tools that you can put on pipes and heat them up and cause the frozen part to reduce but most times just give it time to thaw out,” Sykes said.

When pipes burst with water flowing, he says to turn off your cut-off valve and call a plumber.

“Must water cut-off valves, if plumbed correctly, there’s a cut-off valve at your meter. There’s usually a cut-off valve usually put outside the home at the entrance about 18 inches off the wall. Sometimes on the hot water heater, you can turn the hot water off at the heater,” Sykes said.

A plumber can repair burst pipes by capping it temporarily or replacing parts of the pipe.

Sykes says you can try to fix the problem on your own, but it’s best to call a licensed plumber.

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