With old man winter really letting us know he's around, we need to keep in mind that frozen water pipes for plumbing and heating can happen. Cold temps and high winds is the major cause of frozen pipes in your building. Sometimes a portion of your plumbing system will freeze and create frozen pipes which can then lead to burst pipes.

Frozen plumbing can be more than a temporary inconvenience.  Frozen water pipes can cause major damage when the pipe thaws and the water starts to flow.  Frozen hot water heat lines will prevent heat from reaching parts of your building further compounding the problem causing more pipes to freeze. Water damage can result when a split water pipe occurs due to expansion caused by freezing.  Thawing a pipe as soon as possible can help prevent a break in a pipe.

Quality Plumbing Services can help … once your plumbing is frozen, follow these steps:

• Turn off the water supply. You can find the valve associated with the pipe and turn it off or if that does not work, shut off the main valve.

• Remove all the items in the vicinity of the frozen or burst pipe.

• Call Quality Plumbing Services Inc. We have thaw machines to thaw frozen pipes so that the water can flow freely again. And if there is a crack or leak in the pipe, we can fix it.

What “not to do” once you have a frozen pipe:

• Ignore it. Your pipe will not thaw by ignoring it. It will either freeze more and then burst or stay frozen until the temperature outside warms well above freezing.

• Use a blowtorch. This can cause the water to heat up too fast in the pipe and cause it to expand thus breaking the pipe. There is also the danger of starting a fire causing more damage than the frozen pipe would cause.

  Call Quality Plumbing Services today at 847-259-0200 or visit our website at www.qualityplumbingchicago.com!

Your house is nothing more than a system, using pipes, lines and wires to make it run effectively. When everything is working, you probably don’t give it a second thought. But if one thing goes wrong, you will quickly find out how much you depend on those pipes, lines and wires.

Your plumbing is a vital part of your life – you and your family use it all of the time. The plumbing pipes you have running in your walls and beneath your home make up your plumbing system. These pipes connect to your city’s water and sewage pipes and interconnect in your home in various ways. Your gas lines are also considered to be a part of your plumbing.

Depending on the year your home was built, and what part of the country you live, plumbing pipes are made out of the following:

• PVC – These pipes are one of the most popular plumbing pipes today. PVC pipes do not clog as easily as other pipes and they are more affordable.

• Steel – Steel is often used for gas lines. Without proper installation and material, your gas lines could be dangerous.

• Copper – Copper is often used for water lines. Although it is still a popular choice for plumbing, the price of copper is on the rise. Therefore, the use of copper in plumbing drainage is declining as people find cheaper alternatives, such as PVC.

• WARDFLEX – This flexible material is used when conventional piping cannot be used. It works well for remodeling due to the fact that it can be fished through walls. However, this material is much more expensive.

• Clay tile – Clay tile pipes are most often found in older homes. If you have clay tile pipes in your home, you should have them replaced. This type of piping is out-of-date when it comes to plumbing standards and there are many other choices that are better.

• Cast iron – Cast iron pipe is used mainly for drain systems. Although most often found in older homes (like clay tile pipes), these pipes are usually replaced because of the better materials used today in plumbing pipes.

• Lead – Lead pipes were used in older homes as water lines. Today, we have a better understanding of the dangers of lead, so these lines should always be replaced. Lead is a dangerous substance, especially to small children.

Check with the city you live in with regards to what piping is allowed. The City of Chicago code requires cast iron and copper for any building four stories or more, as well as any building that has commercial use. Let Quality Plumbing Services help you decide what are the correct, code approved pipes to be used in your home to make it safe and reliable. Call us at 630-227-0200 or visit our website at www.qualityplumbingchicago.com!