Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We always let our water run during these unusually cold winter nights and sometimes even days.
I have determined if I'm doing a project in the kitchen sink...special cleaning when indoors with snow, or rearranging/unpacking, etc and using the faucet a lot I don't need to let it run during the day.
I have figured out the water doesn't gurgle and sort of burp out of the sinks upstairs and on the southern side. However, the sinks on the north side and more exposed do...whether running just a little or not.
The one water line on the side in the wind tunnel needs to be babied this time of year. Extra wind. Extra cold.
Never thought about the part of the house that sticks out just a little...and that's the wall with a shower...until this unusually cold winter. So that faucet's on now too.
You may need to let the water run in more than a trickle. You may need to run the water a little warmer than cold. It's cheaper than a break in the waterline.
Do open the cabinets doors under the sink day and night. My cats are fascinated by that new place to curl up.
That said....how about insulation? There was someone on here with that problem and it was found the builder forgot to insulate some areas of his house!
See if you can get someone with a heat sensor who can tell you some thing like this.
Sorry, wrote that on my phone so didn't go into huge detail because typing on the phone - ugh - - our plumber IS very good. He's just from a very busy place - not a chain like Roto-Rooter, don't worry, but the biggest local shop in town. And he does know where the pipes are, and is pretty sure about where they're freezing, but dismantling the cabinets or taking off the siding to get to them and then adding insulation isn't something they do. And I wasn't sure if that's because of how they're set up and one-guy-plumbing operation would be more likely to do something like that, or if it's something we need to go right to a contractor for, you know?
Cabinets have been open all week. I've been running the water overnight - cold in one sink and warm in the laundry sink (they're around the corner from each other, same exterior wall, same water line) - but apparently we need to also run it during the day, based on what I found when I got home!
We've only been in the house since August, and things didn't freeze during the "normal" weather we had in December - it's only been during these horrid cold snaps, so it's possible this never happened with the previous owners! My husband went next door to see if the neighbors knew of a contractor, and we got the number of the guy who not only built the houses in the neighborhood in the 70s but who lived in our house itself! So hopefully he'll know it inside and out and can fix things. Even if we never get a cold snap like this again, I know I'll be paranoid all winter long until we get this solved.
Thanks for all the tips!
Though, I swear, had we not just moved, I'd be all set to pack up and move south!!
Sorry, wrote that on my phone so didn't go into huge detail because typing on the phone - ugh - - our plumber IS very good. He's just from a very busy place - not a chain like Roto-Rooter, don't worry, but the biggest local shop in town. And he does know where the pipes are, and is pretty sure about where they're freezing, but dismantling the cabinets or taking off the siding to get to them and then adding insulation isn't something they do. And I wasn't sure if that's because of how they're set up and one-guy-plumbing operation would be more likely to do something like that, or if it's something we need to go right to a contractor for, you know?
Cabinets have been open all week. I've been running the water overnight - cold in one sink and warm in the laundry sink (they're around the corner from each other, same exterior wall, same water line) - but apparently we need to also run it during the day, based on what I found when I got home!
We've only been in the house since August, and things didn't freeze during the "normal" weather we had in December - it's only been during these horrid cold snaps, so it's possible this never happened with the previous owners! My husband went next door to see if the neighbors knew of a contractor, and we got the number of the guy who not only built the houses in the neighborhood in the 70s but who lived in our house itself! So hopefully he'll know it inside and out and can fix things. Even if we never get a cold snap like this again, I know I'll be paranoid all winter long until we get this solved.
Thanks for all the tips!
Though, I swear, had we not just moved, I'd be all set to pack up and move south!!
Wonderful!
Let us know what happens. Always looking for new tips.
Sorry, wrote that on my phone so didn't go into huge detail because typing on the phone - ugh - - our plumber IS very good. He's just from a very busy place - not a chain like Roto-Rooter, don't worry, but the biggest local shop in town. And he does know where the pipes are, and is pretty sure about where they're freezing, but dismantling the cabinets or taking off the siding to get to them and then adding insulation isn't something they do. And I wasn't sure if that's because of how they're set up and one-guy-plumbing operation would be more likely to do something like that, or if it's something we need to go right to a contractor for, you know?
Cabinets have been open all week. I've been running the water overnight - cold in one sink and warm in the laundry sink (they're around the corner from each other, same exterior wall, same water line) - but apparently we need to also run it during the day, based on what I found when I got home!
We've only been in the house since August, and things didn't freeze during the "normal" weather we had in December - it's only been during these horrid cold snaps, so it's possible this never happened with the previous owners! My husband went next door to see if the neighbors knew of a contractor, and we got the number of the guy who not only built the houses in the neighborhood in the 70s but who lived in our house itself! So hopefully he'll know it inside and out and can fix things. Even if we never get a cold snap like this again, I know I'll be paranoid all winter long until we get this solved.
Thanks for all the tips!
Though, I swear, had we not just moved, I'd be all set to pack up and move south!!
Any "good" plumber would have someone on staff or have a couple of subcontractors that can do siding, drywall, and trim repairs. Lets face-it, if most of the plumbing is buried in a wall, ceiling, floor (framed or concrete) you have to open it up to get to it- so why not "finish" the job and put it back together.
Sorry, wrote that on my phone so didn't go into huge detail because typing on the phone - ugh - - our plumber IS very good. He's just from a very busy place - not a chain like Roto-Rooter, don't worry, but the biggest local shop in town. And he does know where the pipes are, and is pretty sure about where they're freezing, but dismantling the cabinets or taking off the siding to get to them and then adding insulation isn't something they do. And I wasn't sure if that's because of how they're set up and one-guy-plumbing operation would be more likely to do something like that, or if it's something we need to go right to a contractor for, you know?
Cabinets have been open all week. I've been running the water overnight - cold in one sink and warm in the laundry sink (they're around the corner from each other, same exterior wall, same water line) - but apparently we need to also run it during the day, based on what I found when I got home!
We've only been in the house since August, and things didn't freeze during the "normal" weather we had in December - it's only been during these horrid cold snaps, so it's possible this never happened with the previous owners! My husband went next door to see if the neighbors knew of a contractor, and we got the number of the guy who not only built the houses in the neighborhood in the 70s but who lived in our house itself! So hopefully he'll know it inside and out and can fix things. Even if we never get a cold snap like this again, I know I'll be paranoid all winter long until we get this solved.
Thanks for all the tips!
Though, I swear, had we not just moved, I'd be all set to pack up and move south!!
Unless you've got an open vent (as GreenScout II said) or some kind of hole/crack in an exterior wall that's allowing cold air in, I bet it happened pretty regularly for the previous owner as well. Most houses built in the 1970s weren't that well insulated and certainly weren't as tightly sealed as homes built later.
Definitely possible! It's kinda annoying that this is happening in what's to us a "new" house - our two previous houses were built in 1918 and then 1880, and neither had a speck of insulation in the walls, yet no frozen pipes ever! Granted, it never got this cold while we were in either!
My husband went next door to see if the neighbors knew of a contractor, and we got the number of the guy who not only built the houses in the neighborhood in the 70s but who lived in our house itself! So hopefully he'll know it inside and out and can fix things.
This should be interesting. Let us know what happens.
Quote:
Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr
Any "good" plumber would have someone on staff or have a couple of subcontractors that can do siding, drywall, and trim repairs.
Exactly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr
Lets face-it, if most of the plumbing is buried in a wall, ceiling, floor (framed or concrete) you have to open it up to get to it- so why not "finish" the job and put it back together.
We thaw our pipes without opening anything up. We blow air down the wall from the attic.
I've read a lot about heating tape not being a good choice unless you're on top of it constantly, always checking for problems, and replacing it every couple of years.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
