Frozen pipes may be the culprit.

Pipes in homes, especially those that are along outside walls, are susceptible to freezing in extremely cold weather.

People who live in trailer homes are more at risk for experiencing frozen pipes than those who live in houses or apartments. Pipes in trailer homes are “very notorious about freezing up,” according to Dan Riley, owner of Dan Riley Plumbing in Fort Dodge.

There are some things people can do to prevent their water pipes from freezing, he said.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
A cabinet beneath a kitchen sink is shown with the doors open to allow warm air from the room to get into the area where water pipes are located.

Riley recommends determining which plumbing fixture is the farthest away from where the water line enters the home and letting both hot and cold water drip from it on the coldest days. That keeps a small amount of water moving through the pipes.

“Water can’t freeze if it’s flowing,” he said.

Pipes can also be wrapped in heat tape and an insulating material called Insultube, he added.

Something as simple as opening cabinet doors can also help.

Riley said in a lot of homes, the kitchen sink is on an outside wall, which increases the risk of pipes freezing. And a lot of those sinks have cabinets beneath them. He recommends opening those cabinet doors and keeping them open on the coldest days to let warm air from the room enter the area where the pipes are located.

“Opening the doors helps the heat reach the pipes,” he said.

Outside, he recommends keeping ice and snow away from any vents on the side of the home.

If water pipes do freeze in a home, the best move is to call a plumber, according to Riley.

No one should ever use a torch to try to thaw a pipe, he said. Using a torch could start a fire in the home. The heat of a torch will also ruin PVC pipes, Riley said.

While awaiting professional help with frozen pipes, people can set up a space heater and point it in the direction of the pipes, Riley said. But he cautioned that someone should be home to keep an eye on the situation whenever the space heater is on.