When the temperature drops below freezing, the pipes in your dwelling have the potential to freeze. This can cost you $100 if you hire a professional to unthaw them and way more if they burst. A homeowner demonstrated his quick and no-cost fix for a frozen pipe using an item he already had around the house.
“One pipe in my whole house froze last night, and it was a hot water from the sink,” TikToker Yohan (@imcominginhot) kicks off his video.
Yohan, who has 385,000 followers, then goes over to the sink to show how the cold water faucet still operates, but nothing comes out of the hot water faucet.
“This one works just fine,” he says of the cold water tap.
“But this one,” he says as he twists the hot water handle. “Is completely frozen. Let’s fix that.”
The hack
“I’m about to go to work, so I’m gonna try to do this in five minutes or less,” he says.
Then, he reveals the tool he’ll be using: his wife’s Shark hairdryer.
But if you don’t have a Shark hairdryer, he says to just “use whatever you have.”
The video then cuts to Yohan in his basement, where the pipes are located.
“Just so you know, it pays to buy your wife good stuff because this thing—it’s crazy,” he says, as he brings the tool to life by pressing its on button.
It appears the exact model is the Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System HD430, which retails for $300. It’s a multi-style tool that promises to curl, volumize, smooth, and dry all hair types.
“I am just applying heat to the pipe and creating a vacuum in there. So, hopefully, that will just thaw it out,” Yohan explains.
Yohan then shows the hot water dripping into the sink. “There it is, already defrosting,” he exclaims.
Moments later, the hot water fully returns. “There you have it. A pipe defrosted in less than five minutes,” he says.
@imcominginhot Fixing a frozen pipe #diy #fixityourself #problemsolved ♬ original sound – Yohan 🌐
How to you prevent frozen pipes?
There is a way to keep your pipes from freezing in the first place. As Yohan admits, all he had to do was let his faucets drip.
“And it would’ve been fine,” he says.
“Letting a trickle of water run through the pipes will help prevent them from freezing,” WPRI explains. Keeping your heater on and opening cabinet doors that contain pipes will further help prevent the pipes from freezing.
Here’s a demonstration on how to properly drip your faucets:
On the bright side, Yohan forgetting to drip his faucets provided him with an opportunity to share the hack with the masses.
The Daily Dot reached out to Yohan via TikTok comment and direct message.
Viewers try it out
Yohan’s video has been viewed over 59,000 times since Jan. 22. Thanks to the cold weather, some viewers already had an opportunity to try this hack out.
“Huh, it took me over an hour, I need a better hair dryer I guess!” one viewer wrote.
“It worked!!! Thank you! Thank goodness for TikTok. And a small stream not a drip,” another praised.
How much does it cost to fix a burst pipe?
But a retired plumber issued a warning. “I’ve seen more pipes break when home owners use a hairdryer on them. Also the hot freezes faster. I’ve also seen moving water freeze,” he said.
Yohan did admit this could be a possibility in his video.
“Don’t get to this [point],” he warns, reminding viewers to drip their faucets. “Because you can burst a pipe.”
Angi reports that a burst pipe is on average $500 but could cost anywhere from $150 to a whopping $5,000.
Is it safe to use a hairdryer to unthaw pipes?
Yes, while it’s not without the aforementioned risks, using a hairdryer to unthaw a pipe can be effective. 1-Tom-Plumber instructs you to hold the hairdryer 6 inches away from the pipe and move it back and forth slowly as if you’re painting it. You can have it at the highest heat setting if the pipe is cool to the touch. Work slowly. If you work too fast, you run the risk of the pipe bursting, creating an even bigger problem. However, you must tackle a frozen pipe as soon as possible. Do this until the melted ice water flows out of the faucet.
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