Author Topic: frigophobia ?  (Read 150170 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline ChattyCathy

  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: 1691
  • Your Damsel in Defense Pro
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #200 on: Jan 18, 07, 01:12:10 PM »

KWBoy

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #201 on: Jan 18, 07, 01:13:59 PM »
I put one of those blankets on ours since the access door is on the outside of the house with no insulation

angelwolf326

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #202 on: Jan 18, 07, 01:32:37 PM »
I am in the Easy Cyn and had no issues. My bib coming out of the back of the house won't come on in the morning but at night is fine.  All my pipes are under the house and are wrapped in this HUGE gray stuff with padding and plastic....  I guess the previous owners prepared for this.

michael

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #203 on: Jan 18, 07, 01:39:39 PM »
Wow..... hold on there in your blanket assessment.

There is potential for water pipes and fixtures to be damaged but to say all would be damaged is stretching things. Way too many variables involved.

If I had a weekend cabin I surely wouldn't hesitate on getting up here as the potential for increased damage is definitely there. 

Quote
If your water system was on throughout this little Ice Festival it is damaged.   Pipes that are full just freeze and break in this condition.  It has been that cold.

You are correct.  He said he needed to get up here and I assumed that meant the heat was off.  I also made a lot of other assumptions that weren't fair.  If he left his heat off, had an old cabin with no pipe insulation, and he had pipe that was full of water he is probably coming up to a system full of problems.


My lady has a newer home, INSULATED copper plumbing, and the heat has been on all winter.  I have had to cut out two pieces of copper in the basement and garage.  They took place ten days apart.  One was an easy fix.  The other fought me all of the way.


Offline ChattyCathy

  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: 1691
  • Your Damsel in Defense Pro
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #204 on: Jan 18, 07, 01:42:05 PM »
Wow, you really prepared for this!  I bet everything will be fine - but let us know!  Unfortunately I had no clue that I had to do anything like this - but now I'm in good shape.

My water meter is at the street, then the pipe runs underground and pops up in the crawl space, under the kitchen sink.  There's also valves under the sink to drain all of the piping in the house (although I didn't use it this time, as I thought I was going to make it up before the cold snap).  Most of the piping is short runs from where it pops out of the ground, but there's a long run to a hose bib on the other side of the house.  I'm glad that when I moved in a couple of years ago I did all of the following:

- Insulated all of the pipes running under the house
- Put foam covers on the two hose bibs outside
- Put an insulating blanket on the water heater
- Put electric heat tape on the 12" or so of pipe under the house that can't be drained
- Keep the house at 50 degrees when I'm not there
- Open the cabinet doors for the kitchen and bathroom sinks

We'll see how well that worked out.  My major concern is the long run of pipe to the hose bib on the other side of the house.  Hopefully, the electric heat tape and insulation should have kept everything else warm enough.



Hillbillies

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #205 on: Jan 18, 07, 02:07:53 PM »
Wow, you really prepared for this! 


[/quote]

What's that saying...something about an ounce of prevention is worth.....

ezzpete

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #206 on: Jan 18, 07, 02:21:04 PM »

Offline Wrightwood

  • Administrator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Wildlife Gateway
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #207 on: Jan 19, 07, 01:01:33 PM »

Chesslike

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #208 on: Jan 19, 07, 01:08:19 PM »

Offline Nolena

  • Moderator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #209 on: Jan 19, 07, 01:29:45 PM »
"sure hope Chuck hasn't decided to put on his bathing suit"

Really bad visual......

KWBoy

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #210 on: Jan 19, 07, 01:41:34 PM »

Offline ForestGal

  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: 3771
  • Fight On!!
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #211 on: Jan 19, 07, 04:16:38 PM »

Offline BikingBrian

  • Bear
  • ****
  • Posts: 447
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #212 on: Jan 19, 07, 10:55:58 PM »
We made the run up the hill this morning to check for any damage.  The part of the pipe in the crawl space that pops out of the ground and into the house under the kitchen sink was frozen, even with the electric heat tape on the pipe.  So I have no running water.  At least there's no major pipe rupture, although there could be a leak after everything thaws.  I originally thought that the heat tape was defective, but I tested it tonight with a bag of ice and it works fine.  I believe the problem was that I located the heat tape thermostat on the part of the pipe closer to the house instead of closer to the ground - so the thermostat was seeing the warmer temperatures from the house heat warming the pipes, and the heat tape wasn't turning on when needed.

Offline Wrightwood

  • Administrator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Wildlife Gateway
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #213 on: Jan 19, 07, 11:30:40 PM »
Good news biking_brian.
To be safe crack a valve open to relieve pressure on the line as it thaws.

We've got a rental property and received an email tonight that a line burst and flooded the downstairs. This happened today when pipes thawed.

mokandi

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #214 on: Jan 19, 07, 11:35:57 PM »
Couldn't read through this thread until now.  I was just so cold, I couldn't sit at the computer.  Furnace went out days ago.  Think it was maybe 20 something in the house.  First sort of nice day they show up to bring the new one.  Couldn't stop thinking about the older people that you hear about that die because it's just so cold.  How is that we don't have something in place in communities so this doesn't ever happen?

Offline ForestGal

  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: 3771
  • Fight On!!
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #215 on: Jan 19, 07, 11:47:25 PM »
We've got a rental property and received an email tonight that a line burst and flooded the downstairs. This happened today when pipes thawed.

Wrightwood, is your rental here in town?  I have a rental up here too, and have heard nothing from the tenants, so I'm assuming everything is hunky-dory.  I was in the lower part of the property yesterday (the rental is an upstairs apt.), and everything looked fine.


Offline Wrightwood

  • Administrator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Wildlife Gateway
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #216 on: Jan 19, 07, 11:54:44 PM »
Yes it's in town near Dogwood.

Offline ForestGal

  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: 3771
  • Fight On!!
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #217 on: Jan 20, 07, 12:03:47 AM »
Thanks, mine is on Lark across from the Catholic Church.  The upper part is theirs, and I never hear from them unless something is wrong, which is hardly ever.  No news is good news!

I'm so sorry that you have a mess to deal with!  :(
Can't we just fast-forward to summer?  :-\

KWBoy

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #218 on: Jan 20, 07, 01:27:54 AM »
Good news biking_brian.
To be safe crack a valve open to relieve pressure on the line as it thaws.

We've got a rental property and received an email tonight that a line burst and flooded the downstairs. This happened today when pipes thawed.


Did it do very much damage?



Thanks, mine is on Lark across from the Catholic Church.  The upper part is theirs, and I never hear from them unless something is wrong, which is hardly ever.  No news is good news!

I'm so sorry that you have a mess to deal with!  :(
Can't we just fast-forward to summer?  :-\

I can arrange another cold arctic blast for ya  ::) ;D Just looked and around the 1st of February looks like its going to dip down again... Not nearly as bad though



You though gas was expensive... Just wait for the prices for oranges, avocado, etc.  :-\

Arizona

  • Guest
Re: frigophobia ?
« Reply #219 on: Jan 20, 07, 04:47:56 AM »
Darwin missed a few.

Words to live by, Nolena. 

 

anything