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What to do if your pipes freeze and how to prevent it during cold temperatures

With West Michigan experiencing bitterly cold temperatures, many people are seeing their homes be impacted.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Brandon Campbell, a plumber at Mr. Rooter in Grand Rapids, was working at the home of a client whose water was not running due to a frozen pipe, responding to one out of several calls they had received that day for the same problem.  

"We're just getting inundated with just a lot of frozen pipes from the weather," said Campbell.

The low temperatures and strong winds have been causing problems for many homes, but there are ways to keep the chill from negatively impacting pipes and other areas.

Campbell says running a small amount of water from a faucet can keep a regular flow of moving through the pipes, preventing water from freezing and the greater problems associated with it.

"When you get into negative, below-zero temperatures with the wind, you definitely want to start keeping that in mind. Just start running it, if you notice that the water is not running after you turned it on, then I would definitely contact a plumber to get that resolved, just to help prevent the pipes from bursting," said Campbell.

Campbell also says water can run from any faucet, but to make sure to use one with a drain that can handle a constant water flow.

He also says It is important to locate and insulate places where cold air could be entering your home, especially near pipes, warning that manufactured homes can be especially at risk due to skirting that can provide poor insulation for pipes under the home.

"Sometimes it's just a thin layer of plastic that's just kind of breaking the wind, but it still is not a good insulator. So what you can even do is just use the snow and pile it up against the skirting to kind of form a little bit of a insulation barrier as well to help mitigate the cold temperatures under there," he said.

The City of Grand Rapids Office of Emergency Management also states in a Facebook post to never try and thaw frozen pipes yourself using a torch or open flame, also saying a hairdryer can be utilized instead. 

Identifying where cold air may be entering a home can also be a way to be more energy efficient, with the Kent District Library having tools such as thermal cameras available for check out, as a part of their Beyond Books collection.

The thermal camera can allow you to see cold and hot spots in your home to see where cold air may be coming in.

Campbell urges people to have problems such as frozen pipes addressed as soon as possible to prevent further issues.

"Get somebody out there to be able to try and resolve the problem as soon as possible, just to mitigate from the pipe split and from being frozen, and then ultimately having not only a frozen pipe, but also have water leaking once that pipe starts on thawing," said Campbell. 

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