# How to Defrost Your Shower After a Freeze
Frozen pipes cause expensive damage to your home if they are not handled carefully. Water expands as it freezes, and the pressure builds up in the pipe until the pipe either ruptures or the ice thaws. Ice builds up anywhere there is moisture and temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. If the inside of the shower has frozen as well, you should thaw it out as soon as possible while also thawing the pipes so the shower is usable again.
Things You'll Need
- Space heater
- Hairdryer
- Saltwater
- Heat gun or heat tape
Instructions
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1
Turn off the valves to the shower. Thawing a pipe with the water turned on increases the risk of a pipe rupture.
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2
Place a space heater inside the bathroom to raise the temperature above freezing to remove any exterior ice. Plug in a hairdryer and aim it at any thicker ice to melt it at a faster rate.
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3
Pour hot saltwater down the shower drain. The heat and the salt both help break up ice.
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4
Run a heat gun over the frozen areas of piping to thaw out the ice inside of the pipe. Heat tape is another option as well. Wrap it around the pipe to remove the internal ice and then throw it away once you're finished.
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5
Turn the water valves back on once the bathroom itself and the pipes have been sufficiently warmed.
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Home Maintenance
- How to Install a Shower Intake Pipe
- How to Rough In Shower Systems
- How to Build a Shower Chair
- How to Cap an Old Shower Drain
- How to Change Your Shower Backsplash
- How to Cut Your Tub to Make a Walk-In Shower
- How to Finish a Concrete Shower Drain in the Basement
- How to Move a Shower Drain in Concrete Foundation
- How to Melt Ice in a Shower Pipe
- How to Fix a Washing Machine Leak After a Winter Freeze
- How to Retrofit a Shower Faucet
- How to Freeze Your Rose Petals
