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Demand heats up for pipe-fixing gear Pipe tips If you didn't prevent the big freeze, here's what you might do for frozen pipes: For pipes under or outside the house, apply a gentle heat source (not a propane torch). In the rare case of frozen pipes inside the house, heat up the house. If pipes burst, shut the water off. Then call a plumber -- unless you're well versed in pipe repair and propane torch use. By Julie Swensen Medford merchants were busy selling pipe insulation and space heaters Saturday as customers prepared for a cold spell that is sending nighttime temperatures into the mid teens. At Hubbard's Ace Hardware on South Pacific Highway, assistant manager Daun Clasen said the store had sold out of faucet covers and a couple of different types of pipe wraps. The store more than tripled its order for Monday of pipe insulation and faucet covers. The store also had been selling some heat tapes (electric heating cables that wrap around pipes), some PVC fittings for pipes that had already broken and some space heaters. Shoppers at the South Medford Fred Meyer were taking home a lot of space heaters, pipe insulation and faucet covers. "People have been stocking up and sales have been brisk," home manager Darren Davidson said. Customers were also buying antifreeze. Grover Electric & Plumbing Supply in Medford was busier than normal Saturday, selling a lot of pipe insulation, faucet insulator covers and heat tapes, said assistant manager Chris Defty. "So far it hasn't been to the repair stage yet," he said. Defty said "the best thing to do here is prevention." He recommended that people leave a heat source on in their house, block foundation vents and cover outside faucets. For inside faucets on outside walls, he recommended letting the faucet drip a little to keep water circulating and prevent it from freezing up hard. But if you woke up today to find your pipes frozen, it's too late for prevention. The best thing to do is to apply a gentle heat source to frozen pipes, Defty said. He suggested putting a small heater underneath the house; he recommends against using a propane torch. If your pipes on the inside of the house should freeze -- which Defty said is pretty rare unless a house if left without heat on -- he recommends heating the house to warm the pipes within the walls. If pipes have burst, shut the water off. Plastic pipes are easier to repair than metal, Defty said. But most people won't be comfortable working with copper or galvanized pipe -- it involves using a propane torch -- so they should call a plumber. "We don't want anybody to burn their home down," he said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA