Affordable & Prompt Diagnosis & Repair Service

Is your water pressure suddenly very low? If it’s wintertime, it could mean you have a water line starting to freeze. And that in turn can mean extensive, costly damage if the problem isn’t promptly diagnosed and corrected. MAS Plumbing is equipped to do just that. Whether the cause is inadequate insulation on an exterior wall or a cold air leak reaching an interior wall, we are prepared to quickly locate the leak, thaw your line and perform all necessary repairs.

Frozen Pipes Downers Grove

One of the dangers of winter is frozen water pipes. Frozen pipes are not a common problem in newer homes, but older homes tend to be at higher risk because of older insulation and lack of winterizing techniques back when they were built. When water freezes inside a pipe, water flow is stopped, but that is a minor issue. The major issue comes from when the ice expands. Ice is one of the few things on earth that expand when it reaches the freezing point. This can cause the sides of your pipes to expand and possibly break. When the pipes break and thaw the water starts to flow again, leaking out where you don’t want it to. By following these simple steps you can keep your pipes from breaking. Worried about cost? MAS Plumbing offers FREE quotes right over the phone or via email. 

For same-day service in Downers Grove, please call us today at:

630-884-4201

• Winterizing your pipes
• Check temperatures in your home
• Take preventative measures

Winterizing Water Lines

Ensuring that your pipes are well insulated is vital in preventing them from freezing. This is especially important on pipes on outside walls and in the basement if the basement gets very cold. However, that is not the only thing to watch out for. Exterior fixtures are more vulnerable to the cold than pipes inside the walls. Outside fixtures, such as faucets, often have shut-off valves on the inside of the home. To winterize these, simply close the shut-off valve and then open the fixture to allow the water to drain.

Check the Lines

Knowing the temperature around your pipes will allow you to keep a better eye out. When the outside temperature drops to below 32 degrees, you should check once to find the coldest spots in the home. Often times because pipes are in hard-to-reach places, a laser thermometer comes in handy. A closer eye is needed when the temperature outside drops to 20 degrees as this is when most inside pips that are at risk will be in danger. Pipes typically do not have a high risk of bursting until the temperature drops to below 20 degrees. 

Preventative Measures

There is more that you can do besides ripping open the walls inside your home to keep your pipes from freezing. Ensuring that the temperature inside your home does not drop below 55 degrees and that the cabinets for pips on an outside wall are open can help prevent them from freezing. Keeping a slow stream of water will also help prevent your pipes from freezing. However, if you notice that no water comes out or that a slow running faucet stops, it means a pipe has frozen. The damage might not already be done, and it is crucial to unfreeze the pipe.  It is not recommended to use an open flame as that has a high risk of causing a fire, and do not leave electrical devices operational and unsupervised.

Plumbers Downers Grove

If you can not thaw a line with a blow dryer or hot towel, stop there. The problem is bigger than just the exposed pipes you can see, and if there is a bigger problem inside the wall then thawing it yourself might cause more problems. We can help when your pipes freeze or when your pipes do burst getting them fixed quickly makes all the difference. Call MAS Plumbing and we’ll come out and get your pipes back in working order quickly.