Cold spell and freezing pipes...

Post Reply
Fun CH
Posts: 1440
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:22 pm
Contact:

Re: Cold spell and freezing pipes...

Post by Fun CH »

And don't forget to treat diesel fuel with anti-gel. Even though the diesel around here is winterized, my plow tractor ran for awhile on one pass on the upper drive way then quit running. Started then stopped a few times. Classic symptoms of gel problems with the fuel.

Carefully placed an electric heater pointed at the fuel lines around the filter and the gel freeze cleared.

Fortunately the tractor quit running near a 120v outlet and didn't block the driveway.
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding--Nick Lowe
Can't talk to a man who don't want to understand--Carol King
PAL
Posts: 1304
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 1:25 pm
Contact:

Re: Cold spell and freezing pipes...

Post by PAL »

Like tons!
Pearl Cherrington
Gonzo'57
Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2021 5:40 pm
Contact:

Re: Cold spell and freezing pipes...

Post by Gonzo'57 »

My water pipes are also mounted on the walls inside the house and not in the walls. The only pipes I cannot see is where I had to drill the wall between the dining room and the kitchen so I could run the pipe in the space between the wall and the cupboards to get to the kitchen sink. Only section of piping I worry about when the pipes have water in them, and it gets really cold. So far, no problems.

Alf, I have had to melt water on the woodstove for drinking, cooking and flushing toilets. This happened when the pressure tank and pipes were in a non-heated shed, and they froze solid because the power was out and the heat tape wasn't working. Those you that haven't done this will be AMAZED at the amount of snow you have to melt to come up with an appreciable amount of water.
PAL
Posts: 1304
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 1:25 pm
Contact:

Re: Cold spell and freezing pipes...

Post by PAL »

Sounds like you've got it dialed in. Our pipes don't freeze as they run up in the house. No plumbing in the walls. But we are here and use wood in a Russian type masonry heater which really can heat the whole house. Backup baseboard, but if the power goes out we can still stay warm.
Don't forget cars that are out. We've had these temps before in years past. When I moved here (1990) we had -20 for about a week or more, and all we had was green wood for the woodstove! Nasty. The space was small so that helped.
Yes, good luck this week, dress well, and don't suck up alot of cold air in the lungs.
Pearl Cherrington
Gonzo'57
Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2021 5:40 pm
Contact:

Re: Cold spell and freezing pipes...

Post by Gonzo'57 »

Because my Mazama house is a second home and only has wood heat, I have set up the plumbing so I can use an air compressor and blow the whole house dry. The only things that I don't blow out is the 80 gallon, electric water heater and the well pressure tank. I can valve off the pressure tank and I can valve off the hot line coming out of the heater and the cold line going into the water heater. Then there is a third valve that when opened, connects the hot and cold lines for the rest of the house so I can blow them out. I never have to worry about the water freezing up when we are not at the house for extended periods. I leave an electric heater running in the bathroom to keep the pressure tank from freezing. I'm not worried about the water heater because it runs as long as there is power. Even if the power was out for a while it's going to take some time for 80 gallons of hot water to freeze. Also leave a heater running in the kitchen to keep things in the cupboards from freezing. I have hung curtains made of wool blankets in the doorways to the living room to keep the heat in the kitchen and the bathroom door gets closed. Of course, I put RV anti-freeze into the traps on the sinks, tub and toilet to keep them from freezing should the power be out for a while.

Even if I was at the house, I think I would maybe blow it dry in the cold temps. that are expected this week. I keep 20 gallons of water stored so if something happens to the water system I can get by for a while.

Good luck this week.
User avatar
mister_coffee
Posts: 1389
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:35 pm
Location: Winthrop, WA
Contact:

Re: Cold spell and freezing pipes...

Post by mister_coffee »

Yep, had a moment of High Drama Christmas Eve myself...

More or less under control at the moment.
:arrow: David Bonn :idea:
User avatar
pasayten
Posts: 2444
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:03 pm
Contact:

Cold spell and freezing pipes...

Post by pasayten »

With the sub-zero temps coming up, don't forget to let some faucets trickle to keep the water flowing in your water piping system. You can also open the cabinets doors below your sinks to help. :-)
pasayten
Ray Peterson
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests