If none of these materials is available to you you can always elect faucet repair to soak rags or towels in hot water and wrap them around the frozen pipe. This will probably take longer than any of the methods previously mentioned.
Visually water line repair examine the frozen pipe for signs of damage including cracks holes or breaks. Begin your quest in the areas that are located closest to cold area such as the outer walls and crawl spaces. The holes can be as tiny as a pinprick, so inspect the pipe closely.
The con to time well spent is only if the fix or installation works. Suddenly, when a pipe is squirting water or the dishwasher is leaking all over the floor, that time seems wasted instead of well spent. Now your time is wasted, plus you have to pay for a professional plumber to come over and fix the mess. That time could have been spent doing something else, like golfing or swimming or gardening.
Depending on your repair job you might need a bucket that will fit below the sink trap, as well as some rags and newspaper. Masking tape is useful for labeling and for wrapping around the heads of the wrench to protect your chrome tap handles. Rubber gloves are recommended, particularly when working with the toilet, but there are greases and glues that you may not want on your hands.
Remove the cap of the faucet using slip-joint pliers. Tape the teeth of the pliers to prevent damage of the surface. Remove the faucet cam washer and water line repair the rotating ball.
When doing the install on a water heater, keep an eye out for unconnected pipes. A commonly missed pipe is the one that leads out from the area for drainage. It is probably a recirculation pipe; that helps your water remain heated without wasting too much water.
The plumber you hire does not normally do heating but will do hot water heating or in floor heating in the house. Some places you can use the water heater for both domestic hot water and for in floor heating if the heating is a secondary heat. Check with your local plumbing codes on this to be clear.