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I possibly have a frozen copper pipe between my sheetrock and outside wall. When it thaws, it will most likely leak. Is there anything I can do other than wait until the leak, then tear out the sheetrock and repair the pipe?
I'd probably turn off the water now, instead of waiting until the pipe leaks and floods the whole place. You might put a Sharkbite fitting on with a cutoff and get ready.
I possibly have a frozen copper pipe between my sheetrock and outside wall. When it thaws, it will most likely leak. Is there anything I can do other than wait until the leak, then tear out the sheetrock and repair the pipe?
I'd turn off flow to that line. You don't know for certain the pipe actually froze (unless flow is blocked and there would be no other reason for it) or that freezing actually did any damage. You'll still have to wait for a leak to determine whether any repair is necessary. Sure, water expands when it freezes but if there was air space in the line to accommodate expansion it might not need it.
I have seen copper water piping that has froze solid in the attic of a house and then defrost without any splitting or leaking, so there is a possibility that your piping will be fine.
I have seen copper water piping that has froze solid in the attic of a house and then defrost without any splitting or leaking, so there is a possibility that your piping will be fine.
All I can do is hope. This will be the longest cold stretch in over a hundred years, and some of the homes here in OK just weren't plumbed for that. On the up side, my kitchen floor does need a good moping.
Open the wall now- look for a split/frozen water in/on the copper pipe.
With the wall open it will at least get warm air to it avoiding further damage. Be prepared to shut the water off (know where the cut-off is and have a clear path/access to it), and have the supplies necessary to do a repair. Sharkbites are great for an emergency repair- don’t depend on them for a permanent repair.
I have had pipes freeze and not burst many times; have also had them split. Where they're going to split no one knows till they thaw and you find out. I'd definitely confirm where the shutoff is, and be ready to cut it off when the line thaws. If you leave the faucet open it'll probably minimize the leakage (less pressure at the split - maybe), but you need to be home when it does thaw out to minimize waste of water.
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I would turn the water off until it's well thawed. With a blockage of ice there is a huge amount of pressure building up, and even if not already burst, there is a chance of it breaking when the blockage melts and the backed up pressure is released. I would not tear up a wall until I knew there was a break.
I would turn the water supply off, and open a faucet, to give some room for expansion. Do you know where the frozen pipe is?
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