The Power of Pressure: Understanding Frozen Pipes and Their Dangers

Welcome to our laboratory, where today we're discussing one of the most common and devastating plumbing disasters: frozen pipes. Richard, an expert plumber, is here to share his knowledge with us. As he begins, "Frozen pipes ah, disasters no, we live in a cold climate so we tend to build for, we protect against it." However, even in areas with cold climates, unexpected cold snaps can still cause water to burst through pipes, resulting in chaos and destruction.

To demonstrate this phenomenon, Richard has set up a mock-up demonstrator featuring a copper water pipe. He explains that when water freezes, it expands by about nine percent, which is not enough to make most pipes burst. However, the pressure caused by this expansion can be catastrophic. As he continues, "It's the pressure that that expansion of water has caused downstream... what absolutely it's the pressure that's going to make the thing go crazy, not just the nine percent growth." The pressure can build up to as high as 25,000 psi, which is incredibly powerful.

To visualize this process, Richard uses compressed air to simulate the effects of freezing pipes. He explains that even before a full ice block forms, the pressure inside the pipe can become so high that it causes the pipe to burst. This can happen quickly, with the pressure gauge showing an increase in just a few seconds. As he demonstrates, "This is potentially before we even have a full ice block right." The pressure can be so extreme that it's difficult to contain, and this is what makes frozen pipes such a hazardous situation.

Richard shares a personal experience from his apprenticeship days when he responded to a house where water was coming out of the front steps. He recalls using an ice pick to chip away at the door in an attempt to gain access to the house, only to find that the radiator had shattered into pieces. This experience made him realize the power of frozen pipes and the importance of understanding their behavior.

Now, Richard is sharing his expertise with us, explaining how full city water pressure can cause a split in the pipe due to blockages or pressure buildup. He emphasizes the need for people to understand what happens when a pipe freezes and becomes blocked, as this can lead to more extensive damage. As he continues, "So I thought I would do a little demonstration imagine you are there when it finally bursts...you're gonna open this absolutely so ready?" This will give us an insight into the urgency of finding a main water shut-off valve in case of a pipe burst.

Richard explains that having a shutoff valve is crucial to contain the damage. He shows us how to locate these valves and demonstrates their operation, emphasizing the importance of knowing where they are located and how to use them effectively. "You got to actually find a place to be able to have the shut-off so this is one right here...in a panic when you've got water coming you need to find a control point." This section highlights the necessity of having a main water shut-off valve in every home.

As Richard continues, he shares tips on how to prevent frozen pipes from occurring. He suggests insulating pipes with specialized materials and explaining the importance of maintaining a consistent temperature in areas where pipes are exposed. "Many times those pipes are out in places you can't get at them...think about a kitchen cabinet often the sink is right at the window the hot and cold are right behind it." For such cases, opening up the cabinets to allow warm air to circulate can help prevent pipe freezing.

Finally, Richard shares another crucial tip for preventing frozen pipes: relieving pressure. He demonstrates how to release pressure in the pipe using a specialized tool, emphasizing that this can be an effective way to prevent pipes from bursting. As he concludes his demonstration, "The rule is if you're in cold cold night and you think it might freeze find the farthest faucet away hot and cold just let them drip a little bit into this thing." This final piece of advice provides readers with one simple yet effective way to protect themselves against frozen pipes.

As our article comes to an end, Richard has shared his expertise on frozen pipes, emphasizing their potential for destruction and highlighting the importance of understanding their behavior. By following his tips and using the knowledge provided, homeowners can take steps to prevent these disasters from occurring in the first place.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enoh richard i love it welcome to the laboratory what are we talking about today frozen pipes ah disasters no we live in a cold climate so we tend to build for we protect against it but there are places in this country where there's a sudden cold snap and all of a sudden water's coming out every place it shouldn't no matter where it happens it's always a huge mess right so we got this little mock-up demonstrator here here's the copper water pipe and we're going to try to freeze this pipe and when water freezes it expands by about nine percent when it changes its state from water to ice but that's not enough to make most pipes burst right the ice isn't no it's the pressure that that expansion of water has caused downstream so if this grows by nine percent it's now going to compress this little bit of water that's in here and you build up that pressure inside here as high as 25 000 psi what absolutely it's the pressure that's going to make the thing go crazy not just the nine percent growth so we got here i'm going to insulate right here here's a pressure gauge this represents the cold water supply to the house or to the bathroom group to a kitchen and we're at uh it looks like 60 or so which is normal right yeah 40 to 40 to 60 pounds pressure is typical okay so now we're gonna use compressed air oh yep it's going up wow it's going up fast look at that that's just in a couple of seconds right there bam so look it's it's three three ten seconds it goes right beyond the range of the gauge and this is potentially before we even have a full ice block right so i have a recollection when i was a young apprentice we got sent to a house that the neighbor had come saw that ice was coming down the front steps so i go to the front door and i get out an ice pick and i start chipping away at the front door to try and get into the house because so much water's coming out and i hear a boom inside now i finally get the door open come in and i look and at the far end of the center was a radiator like this and this is 25 feet away i walk in the front door and i see a shard of that radiator stuck into the side of the stair hall going up here if i had been um two minutes earlier i it would it would have been a different show three generations of plumbers not four but it blew up a cast iron absolutely absolutely so it really made me understand the power of this 25 000 psi absolutely i mean a little copper pipe there's no match for it right so so now i need people to really visually understand what happens though when this thing freezes in this little pipe we have full city water pressure so we've got um a split here caused either by the block of ice or more likely the pressure cost that's right there that's right the blockage goes away because yeah the ice melts or something yeah so i thought i would do a little demonstration imagine you are there when it finally bursts you're gonna open this absolutely so ready yeah here we go this is 60 pounds of pressure okay that would fill your house i'm gonna let me shut this up and that's the first rule right you got to actually find a place to be able to have the shutoff so this is one right here but in a panic when you've got water coming you need to find a control point so somewhere in the building there's the main water shut-off it might look like this or it looks like this this one you turn clockwise and this one you turn to this position what we always love to do for any house is to put a main water shutter takers in a panic you got to be able to find the right control valve sure once you get it shut off then you call a plumber and you get it repaired but the other question is is how do you prevent it so you know they make all kinds of pipe insulations like this generally it's split so you can open it up and put it on after the fact and insulate those pipes but many times those pipes are out in places you can't get at them you know think about a kitchen cabinet often the sink is right at the window the hot and cold are right behind it so one little tip is to open up the kitchen cabinets and attempt to get a little bit of heat in there to keep it from freezing right now the other thing you can do is to actually relieve the pressure so that that that extraordinary pressure won't build up 25 000 psi so using our demo again right here so you got this pressure gauge and let's simulate that this is actually a kitchen faucet or a faucet so what are you going to do you're going to bring the pressure back up again yeah okay so here's our freeze again just crack that faucet so coming up today crack it yeah i'm cracking it i'm cracking it all right so just that little release would be enough you know so wow the rule is if you're in cold cold night and you think it might freeze find the farthest faucet away hot and cold just let them drip a little bit into this thing for them great information richard and i love the demonstration tells the whole story nice job professor thanks for watching this old house has got a video for just about every home improvement project so be sure to check out the others and if you like what you see click on the subscribe button make sure that you get our newest videos right in your feed\n"