Used a hair dryer to thaw frozen pipes and almost started a fire

Last winter my basement pipes froze solid. I didn't have a heat gun or anything proper, so I grabbed my wife's hair dryer and cranked it to high. I stood there for 20 minutes pointing it at the pipe, and it worked. The ice melted and water started flowing again. But I didn't notice the plastic pipe wrap right next to the dryer intake. It started smoking and smelling like burning rubber. I yanked the plug out just in time. Now I keep a proper heat gun in the basement, but I still think about how close I came to burning the house down for a quick fix. Anyone else had a close call using the wrong tool for plumbing?

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juliawalker2mo ago

The plastic pipe wrap smoking part got me. That's the kind of detail that makes you feel sick after. I had a friend who tried the same thing with a space heater in his crawlspace and ended up with a melted section of ductwork and a house that smelled like burnt plastic for weeks. He was lucky it didn't catch anything else on fire. Those quick fixes can get real scary real fast when you least expect it. Glad you yanked the plug in time.

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