Freezing by water inside pipework sometimes can happen without any adverse affects. There are times, however if you are unlucky, the frozen water will expand and cause a split in one of your pipes. When frozen its fine but when it thaws is when you will have serious problems. Twickenham Plumbers can find blockages in pipes and fix all leaks. Copper pipes are the most favourite to freeze and split, (if lead is used it will stretch, but should replaced as soon as possible) unless of course you are lucky, and have plastic pipework installed. These plastics are now installed wherever possible when a new house is being built.


If you suspect that a pipe is frozen, try and drain the pipe. Or do a temporary repair. This is ok but not for long. Cut a piece of flexible rubber hose, just longer than the split in the pipe and slip it over. Jubilee clips or soft wire will hold it. You can also use plumbers putty to make a patch. The putty is in two parts which are mixed. Leave for about 35 minutes to go off. Press it all over the leak or hole, to a thickness of around 3-6mm. This will provide the strength to keep the split covered and dry. The putty mix cures to its full strength in around 24 hours. It could take up to a day to completely set. However, you can use the pipe if the water is low pressure that will be flowing. You can bolster the patch with a good covering of plumbers tape. If you are not confident about attempting this type of repair it is best to leave it to a professional plumber like a Twickenham Plumber who carries all types of repair equipment.