Frozen Pipe
Jan 22, 2022 11:38:52 #
I've lived here for 56 years, and the pipe supplying water to the downstairs toilet has frozen at least three times. It froze again last night. When the temperature goes below zero, it's hard to maintain 32° inside the wall. I cut a hole in the wall and placed a drop light with an incandescent bulb under the pipe. That will supply steady heat. When it's thawed, I'm going to put a door on that section of the wall. I'll open it when it gets very cold and let some heat from the house get in there. If it does freeze again, I won't have to cut a hole in the wall.
I'm constantly reminded of the simplicity of renting.
I'm constantly reminded of the simplicity of renting.
Jan 22, 2022 11:58:38 #
One option I've used in a vacant apartment. When below zero temps is in the forecast, I put part of a wire coat hanger under the flapper at night. The slow leak into the bowl caused frequent refilling and the flow was sufficient to prevent freezing.
Jan 22, 2022 12:04:27 #
i use one of those electric heater that look like an old fashioned radiator near my pipes in the basement,it works great and doesnt use alot of electricity
Jan 22, 2022 12:31:33 #
search for "heating tape for pipes" on Amazon.
First one I got was $29.95, comes on at 38 degrees automatically. Needs a convenient elec outlet of course.
I have had one from Home Depot in an outside wall, and a roll up door is next to it. The inside wall is to my unheated shop. It has been there 6 years or so. I screwed a piece of plywood over the cut out wallboard, so I'd have easy access, but your door is more finished. It is in the corner of my shop behind shovels and rakes, so the plywood is fine for me.
Verryl
First one I got was $29.95, comes on at 38 degrees automatically. Needs a convenient elec outlet of course.
I have had one from Home Depot in an outside wall, and a roll up door is next to it. The inside wall is to my unheated shop. It has been there 6 years or so. I screwed a piece of plywood over the cut out wallboard, so I'd have easy access, but your door is more finished. It is in the corner of my shop behind shovels and rakes, so the plywood is fine for me.
Verryl
Jan 22, 2022 12:57:29 #
Thanks for the tips. The pipe thawed in less than an hour with the lightbulb.
I'd rather not put a heating tape in there. For one thing, I'd have to remove a lot of the wall to wrap it around the pipe. A friend had those automatic heating wires on her roof to prevent ice dams. They malfunctioned and were turned on all the time, resulting in a very large electric bill.
I'd rather not put a heating tape in there. For one thing, I'd have to remove a lot of the wall to wrap it around the pipe. A friend had those automatic heating wires on her roof to prevent ice dams. They malfunctioned and were turned on all the time, resulting in a very large electric bill.
Jan 22, 2022 14:57:09 #
A slooow trickle of water worked in my mud room when it hit 10 below in Indiana
Jan 23, 2022 05:32:01 #
No mention of insulation or replacing with plastic pipe. But I like the alternative thinking. The light bulb (L.E.D.'s aren't going to help here) or the little door.
Jan 23, 2022 06:26:22 #
jerryc41 wrote:
I've lived here for 56 years, and the pipe supplyi... (show quote)
Why water pipes are not installed on outside walls.
Jan 23, 2022 07:33:41 #
The upstairs bathroom had pipes next to an exterior wall and and before we fixed it with additional insulation, we had the faucet on a slow drip and when it was really cold we also ran an electric oil-filled radiator at a low setting.
Jan 23, 2022 07:58:22 #
I think a door is a great solution as long as you are always around to open the door! You could put something like a screen used on the air return for heat/AC and air would always be there but you would not need to open a door to get the air/heat to the area. You could also pack the space around the pipe with insulation to help maintain what heat you have.
Jan 23, 2022 08:00:07 #
That's a good rule, however, my pipe on the outside wall immediately fed an outside hose bib. So I used the electrical heating strap wrapped around the short amount of pipe there.
Verryl
Verryl
Jan 23, 2022 09:14:13 #
My girlfriend (now wife) lived in a second floor apartment in an old house north of Boston. She went home to visit family for a week or so around Christmas/New Years, coinciding with a spell of extreme cold. When she got back to the apartment, both the hot and cold water pipes for the kitchen, in an outside wall, were frozen. The bathroom water was OK. Looking under the sink I could see that the hot, cold, and drain pipes all appeared to come up through the same 16 inch cavity.
So we got multiple buckets of hot water from the bathroom and dumped them down the drain. It only took a few minutes before there was a thump down below somewhere, and at least a partial flow was restored. But... there was suddenly quite a commotion in the apartment below. Water coming out of the wall. Thankfully the landlord lived in the other half of the house, and was home, so he quickly shut off the water. The wall of the downstairs apartment had to be cut open for the fix, which included some additional insulation.
So we got multiple buckets of hot water from the bathroom and dumped them down the drain. It only took a few minutes before there was a thump down below somewhere, and at least a partial flow was restored. But... there was suddenly quite a commotion in the apartment below. Water coming out of the wall. Thankfully the landlord lived in the other half of the house, and was home, so he quickly shut off the water. The wall of the downstairs apartment had to be cut open for the fix, which included some additional insulation.
Jan 23, 2022 09:37:47 #
The problem with heat tapes is when they fail you get no warning and then oh crap. Pipes properly insulated seldom freeze and on really bad cold snaps dripping the water helps. Of course I live in TN, not Alaska.
Jan 23, 2022 09:41:01 #
traderjohn wrote:
Why water pipes are not installed on outside walls.
The toilet, sink, and washing machine are on an outside wall, just like the fixtures in the upstairs bathroom. The kitchen sink is also installed on an outside wall. They all need pipes.
Jan 23, 2022 09:43:15 #
Country Boy wrote:
I think a door is a great solution as long as you are always around to open the door! You could put something like a screen used on the air return for heat/AC and air would always be there but you would not need to open a door to get the air/heat to the area. You could also pack the space around the pipe with insulation to help maintain what heat you have.
I put a lot of insulation between the pipe and the wall, but when the temperature drops below zero for hours...
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