Saturate towels with hot water. Drape the towels over the frozen pipeline. This will be messy, but it is a quick way to get heat directly onto the pipeline. Change the towels as they cool. When the water begins to fill the toilet tank, the pipeline is thawed.
It will take roughly 30-40 minutes of using a heat source to thaw exposed pipes. If the pipes are enclosed it will take longer for heat to penetrate the insulation between your heat source and the pipe.
Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water.
The job goes more quickly by pouring hot water or a mixture of vinegar, baking soda and salt water down the drain. Space heaters, hair dryers and heating pads are highly efficient tools for unfreezing a drain pipe. If a frozen drain line ruptures, turn off your home's main water supply.
Manually thaw: Begin the thawing process at the most vulnerable places (near faucets). By targeting these areas first, your pipes will be less likely to burst. To do so, gently apply heat to the frozen areas. A blow dryer is a good option (use caution, go slowly, and don't use an open flame).
Your pipes will eventually begin to thaw on their own once the temperatures rise above freezing. As they do so, you may begin to hear your pipes making gurgling, clanging, or banging sounds as the ice begins to move. The hot water heater may do the same.
If the pipe is behind a wall, you can turn up the thermostat and wait for the thaw. Or you can hook up a lamp to warm the area. Infrared lights work best because they don't warm the air, just the pipes behind the wall. If the pipe is exposed, you can heat it with a hairdryer.
Thaw Frozen Pipes
Turn off the water immediately at the main shut off valve. Open the faucet so that water will flow through the pipe once the area is melted. This will help melt more ice.
Pipe Breakage Risk: Flushing can put pressure on frozen toilet pipes, causing them to crack or break.
If your pipes have been frozen for more than two days, shut down your home's water supply. Locate the frozen length using touch, sight and sound. Make sure the pipe hasn't burst, and open indoor faucets. Unfreeze the pipe using a hair dryer, heat tape, space heater or heating pad.
You could also purchase some heat tape, sometimes called heat cable, from your local hardware store. Simply wrap it around the pipe evenly and plug it in. The cable will warm up the pipe and thaw the frozen ice. Apply heat until the water flow is restored.
Tip #7: A Thaw Machine Will Be Your Savior
It's exactly what it sounds like: a portable device that plumbers use to thaw pipes quickly.
Pour warm water and hand dish washing liquid in the toilet, repeat 5 or 6 times. If that doesn't work try plunging the toilet. If that doesn't work try using a closet auger. As a last resort try a chemical drain cleaner, make sure the labeling indicates it is appropriate for use on a toilet clog.
If the water fixtures on a whole floor don't work, the frozen pipe is located somewhere around that floor's fork from the supply line. If all the faucets in your home have low or no pressure, the freeze could be near your main water supply line.
Pipe-thawing options: There are several things you can do to thaw your home's pipes. Here's a list: Probably the most popular and safest pipe-thawing option is to use hot water.
Surprisingly, it's actually the thawing process that can cause a pipe to burst. This can happen when pressure continues to build as the newly thawed liquid begins to flow and forcefully pushes against the still-frozen areas within the pipe.
If your pipes freeze:
If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out call a plumber. If you detect your water pipes have frozen, turn off the water at the main shut-off valve in the house. NEVER try to thaw a pipe with a torch or open flame.
Ask any plumber, "Should I turn off the water if pipes are frozen?" and they'll immediately tell you, "Yes." Locate your main water line and switch the shut-off valve so the flow of water stops. By doing this, you'll reduce the amount of pressure that builds inside your frozen pipes.
Use a space heater, heat lamp or hair dryer to thaw the frozen length of pipe. Start looking for the frozen pipe by checking pipes along exterior walls, in basements, in crawl spaces, under sinks, in attics or any cold area of your home.
Pipes typically burst when exposed to extremely low temperatures for an extended period of time (anywhere from 1-3 days depending on temperature). This is especially true for pipes located on exterior walls. A frozen pipe is likely to burst when any water or liquid trapped within it freezes and begins to expand.