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Title: Our pipes are frozen this morning...no water
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Published: Jan 8, 2010
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Post Date: 2010-01-08 11:27:56 by christine
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Views: 6733
Comments: 170
it's cloudy with no sun to warm us up. the high predicted today is 35. currently it's 26 degrees (feels like 17). could be hours before the pipes unfreeze. i'm going nuts already.
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#1. To: christine (#0)
How can your pipes freeze in winter where you live? Especially with all that man made climate change stuff going on? Get a space heater and put it near the pipes, should help.
It is better to be hated for what you are, than loved for what you are not. - Tommy The Mad Artist.
Are they inside or outside pipes? If they're inside pipes, try turning on the hot water faucet in the bathtub. When the pipes start to thaw, the trickle of hot water from the hot water tank will warm up the pipes faster, that's if it's just the inside pipes that are frozen...
Yikes. Thank God mine are still flowing. It's about 7 degrees here and I don't know what the WCI is. I'm on surgical recovery and sorta trapped here. Without running water and utils, it would be even more maddening. Hopefully there won't be any bursting.
You didn't have this problem when Bush was President.
Like a goose, I waited until yesterday afternoon to shop for hose-bid covers - I don't believe that there are any left in Austin. So I dripped all the exterior faucets and so far so good; but it's forecast to drop down to 20 tonight. Yowser!
i think it's the outside pipes going into the house that are frozen. i just did what you said and turned on the hot water spiggot on the master tub. thanks for the advice.
we dripped the exterior faucets too, but they froze anyway.
Hi Christine Here is some first aid: 1. Step 1 Open the faucet nearest the pipe, if possible. Do not force it. 2. Step 2 Wrap the pipe in a towel and secure it with duct tape. 3. Step 3 Pour boiling water over the towel. Repeat until the water has thawed and runs through the faucet. 4. Step 4 Alternatively, wrap the pipe in a heating pad or place a heat lamp next to it. If you lack one of these, try a handheld hair dryer or a small electric heater.
Hi Christine Here is some first aid: Open the faucet nearest the pipe, if possible. Do not force it. Wrap the pipe in a towel and secure it with duct tape. Pour boiling water over the towel. Repeat until the water has thawed and runs through the faucet. Alternatively, wrap the pipe in a heating pad or place a heat lamp next to it. If you lack one of these, try a handheld hair dryer or a small electric heater.
hehehehehehehe
(joke) I see some of us have running water, Cyni. They'd last a day in PA :P (/joke)
It was mean and inconsiderate of me but..... Here in the hills we wont see above freezing til about the 4th of July.
Our cheap-o builders just do not build homes for this kind of weather. Anything below 25 degrees gives most of us problems.
You better make friends with Al Gore so he can send you some 'global warming'.
all we have exposed on the exterior is hose bibs, front and back. is it those we're supposed to try this on?
i'm having trouble lasting mere hours. ;)
Sissy.
make a box with 2 sides a back and a top with the top about six inches square and the sides and back tall enough to clear the top of your bib. about mid way up the inside of the back install a ceramic light-bulb fixture and wire (remember black wire to the brass screw and white wire to the silver colored screw). put a 100 watt incandescent bulb in the fixture and set the box so it covers the bib and plug in the light. it will produce plenty of heat to keep your bib and entry (supply) pipe from freezing. the box can be built from 1 by stock or 3/4 inch plywood. you should only need one as your bib closest to your water meter is the supply line with the other bib coming through wall. if your pipes run through your attic they will need to warmed also. a spot light in a clamp on light fixture aimed across both the hot and cold lines will keep them from freezing. unless the faucets are open nearly full the pipes if not heated can still freeze. just in normal use my water bill runs a "C" note a month and that is for water unfit to drink.
Here's a few links that might help you out... Preventing and Thawing a Frozen Water Pipe What should you do if a water pipe freezes? i'd need to call a handyman. ;)
Frozen Pipe Behind a Wall When you find that the frozen pipe serving the faucet is behind a wall or ceiling, you've got a challenge on your hands. You have three choices: Turn up the heat in the house and wait; oh brother. it's anyone's guess where the frozen pipe(s) is!
what! you don't have a table saw? if you used 1 by 8 all you would need is a good cross cut saw or sliding compound miter saw a hammer or screw gun and the light fixture and wiring long enough to reach the nearest outlet. but any way inspect your pipes as they thaw if they are run through your attic, have someone available to close the valve at the water meter should you find a pipe or two that ruptured.
me too & i grew up in the snow just got back from freezing my butt off in germany & belgium spent much of the time thinkin' how nice it would be to get back to sunny texas shoot, it's warmer in frankfurt today than it is in houston!!
if none of your water is running it is most likely where the supply line from the meter comes out of the ground next to your house. get a clamp on spot light fixture and spot light bulb aim it at the pipe and turn it on. for best results enclose the light and pipe in something even if it's just a tent made from a blanket surrounding but not in contact with the light or the lamp fixture.
On the positive, if the frozen pipe is in a wall and has burst from the expanding water freezing then you could have a wall leak when it thaws. Isn't that cheery? All I have to say is I'm thankful that I've never had the problem as I learned early growing up where if it got up to freezing in the winter that was a heat wave.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
that's the situation. thanks.
Lord! You actually have a sense of humor. I'm shocked. Shocked, do you hear me!?
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Thermite would do it too. (Ducks.)
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Actually, here when our pipes freeze, we call the banker first and plumber second.
Something that would work is a seed starter's heat cable. You can find them at garden stores. They come in two types - mats and cables and in a couple of different lenghts. Wrap it around where the pipe comes out of the ground and tape it in place (Gaffer's Tape is best but regular Duct Tape will work. You'll likely need an exterior weatherproof extension cord, but that should do a gentle thaw which is less likely to cause a pipe to burst. If you have something to wrap around as insulation that would hold the heat in and speed up the process. And when it's all done you can start seeds for the garden.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
do you have an electric blanket? put it around the supply line and cover it with a tarp that will keep the wind out. set it to high and plug it in and again watch for leaks from a ruptured pipe. just watch the dial on your water meter, if it starts spinning like a fan there is copious amounts of water flowing.
It occurred to me also that depending upon how much Ice is in there that you might need more than one cable and/or reposition them as the pipe thaws. Once you have water flowing then keep it turned on and flowing for a while as that will continue to melt the ice remaining in the pipe. P.S. I hope my warped sense of humor didn't offend in a trying moment. ;-)
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Yes that would work too - although the nice thing about the seed starter's cables is that they are waterproof.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Yikes! I have never heard of dripping your outside water during a freeze. Generally we have to make sure all of the hoses are disconnected and that there is no water in the outside lines. Most people up here in Idaho who have sprinklers will have them blown out before winter comes. I would call somewhere and get some advice on what to do with the outside water since you began to trickle it. One thing you don't want is the water in the lines to freeze up expand and then burst the pipes.
I'll bite. Why?
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
For what it is worth, this is the nearest assessment as I see it: It is obviously cold enough that a section of your pipe close to an outside wall is frozen solid and blocking the flow of the water. The whole pipe-system in the house in all likelihood is NOT frozen (yet). There is however, a small section of the pipe that is vulnerable to the outside (low) temperature. If one could find the location (most likely in an outside wall) the application of warmth from the inside and possible protection from the outside, should prove helpful. _____________ (I live in Canada, for the last 20 some years our outside walls are 2x6 construction and very well insulated. We have experienced 25F below zero and nothing froze.)
heat gun, aka souped-up hairdryer my pipes always used to freeze up in the same place every time, under the house close to where the water main entered the house... a few minutes ---didnt take long at all, with one of these things on "high"--- did the trick. if you dont know where the pipes are frozen, the logical place to start thawing operations would be: (a) closest to where the water enters the house (on the theory that the heated water would naturally travel towards the frozen spot if there was any movement at all), and (b) where you figure the pipes would get coldest. could be both are in the same place. meanwhile, i made lots of spidery friends when i was thawing the pipes in the crawlspace under the house.
In winter time plumbers are our enemies. They sit in their shop sticking pins in people to cause frozen pipes. When the phone rings, they KNOW they are KING and you are gonna pay. First question is always, the same, do you understand my fees???? No BS excuses will work, you are on social security, you are sick, no money in bank, all that is brushed aside, "do you understand my fees"????? Then you start whining and sniveling, to no avail, you start pleading for him to show up. He baits you for another half hour before he grudgingly says he will put you on a list. List you say, what damned list??????
It certainly could suck for our irrigation system if we ever thaw - looking at 20, or lower, tonight. This is becoming tiresome.
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#2. To: christine (#0)
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
#3. To: christine (#0)
#4. To: christine (#0)
#5. To: Samuel Gray, christine, frozen people here (#3)
#6. To: FormerLurker (#2)
#7. To: Lod (#5)
#8. To: christine (#0)
it's cloudy with no sun to warm us up. the high predicted today is 35. currently it's 26 degrees (feels like 17). could be hours before the pipes unfreeze. i'm going nuts already.
#9. To: christine (#0)
it's cloudy with no sun to warm us up. the high predicted today is 35. currently it's 26 degrees (feels like 17). could be hours before the pipes unfreeze. i'm going nuts already.
#10. To: christine (#7)
we dripped the exterior faucets too, but they froze anyway.
#11. To: Cynicom (#10)
#12. To: Jethro Tull, Christine (#11)
#13. To: Jethro Tull. all (#11)
#14. To: christine (#0)
#15. To: sushigirl (#8)
#16. To: Jethro Tull (#11)
#17. To: christine (#16)
i'm having trouble lasting mere hours. ;)
#18. To: christine (#7)
(Edited)
The best gun to have, is the gun you have, when you need a gun.
#19. To: christine (#6)
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
#20. To: IRTorqued (#18)
#21. To: FormerLurker (#19)
Tear out the wall or ceiling section to get at the frozen section of pipe. Then thaw the pipe as an exposed pipe;
Use an infrared lamp or lamps to assist in heating the wall section in front of where you think the frozen section is located. Infrared lamps are better than regular heat lamps because they pass through the air without heating it and will direct more energy to warming the wall and frozen pipe.
#22. To: christine (#20)
The best gun to have, is the gun you have, when you need a gun.
#23. To: christine (#16)
i'm having trouble lasting mere hours
#24. To: christine (#21)
The best gun to have, is the gun you have, when you need a gun.
#25. To: christine (#0)
#26. To: IRTorqued (#24)
if none of your water is running it is most likely where the supply line from the meter comes out of the ground next to your house. get a clamp on spot light fixture and spot light bulb aim it at the pipe and turn it on. for best results enclose the light and pipe in something even if it's just a tent made from a blanket surrounding but not in contact with the light or the lamp fixture.
#27. To: rotgut (#4)
You didn't have this problem when Bush was President.
#28. To: christine (#26)
#29. To: Itistoolate, christine (#14)
You better make friends with Al Gore so he can send you some 'global warming'.
#30. To: Original_Intent (#28)
#31. To: christine (#26)
#32. To: christine (#26)
The best gun to have, is the gun you have, when you need a gun.
#33. To: All (#31)
#34. To: IRTorqued (#32)
#35. To: Lod (#5)
#36. To: Cynicom (#30)
Actually, here when our pipes freeze, we call the banker first and plumber second.
#37. To: christine (#15)
all we have exposed on the exterior is hose bibs, front and back. is it those we're supposed to try this on?
#38. To: christine (#26)
(Edited)
#39. To: Original_Intent (#36)
#40. To: MiracleRose7. all (#35)
One thing you don't want is the water in the lines to freeze up expand and then burst the pipes.
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