Pipe bursting/ what to do?

[Evelyn Tilman]

Hey everyone, we are having an extra cold few days here in Oklahoma, we have a rental,our first one.

Tenant texted late last night saying the back porch where the laundry is had the pipes frozen and burst.

There is no heat and air back there. Tenant can't do laundry till we fix it. More cold weather is coming all next week.

How do we fix this?

Looking back we could have put some fiberglass insulation behind the washer any dryer.

Any other tips to prevent this?

I just don't know how to move forward...

[Mike McCarthy]

@Evelyn Tilman obviously getting the pipes fixed is step 1.

Talk to a plumber about using PEX pipe instead. The lines can still freeze, but PEX is more forgiving than copper when it does.

Another option is to install heat tape and a thermostatic control. When the temperature gets below 49, the heat tape turns on and keeps the pipes warmer.

Insulation will help if you can keep the pipes between the heated section of the house, and the insulated outdoors, that would be the best solution. But insulation on itself, doesn’t really help.

Good luck!