Cold Weather Plumbing...

[sky tot]

There`s going to be hell of alot burst pipes we the great thaw comes.
Picked the wrong trade should have been a Plumber.

 

[brass neck]

That hot water melting ice trick is fab. Who thought of that? Brilliant!!!!!


seriously though......our heating has only been turned off twice in this cold snap, both times.....the fckin boiler freezes from the outlet pipe......making Jurassic noises.......did the old hair dryer trick last time, did the business.

 

[Manchester1894]

My washing machine flooded the kitchen as the overflow pipe had frozen up. Been like that for 6 days now. Outside pipe needs to thaw out but may not be till tomorrow or Tuesday when temps return to 1c.

 

[Swales lives]

My washing machine flooded the kitchen as the overflow pipe had frozen up. Been like that for 6 days now. Outside pipe needs to thaw out but may not be till tomorrow or Tuesday when temps return to 1c.

I'm in a similar boat, my washer's out in the old brick out-building. Frozen solid, the outside bog's frozen up too. That's my job tomorrow. A million kettles and hypothermia. Happy days.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

I'm crapping it as been away since 16th December, returning 2nd Jan.
Dread to think what state the pipes will be in on return......

 

[sweynforkbeard]

I'm crapping it as been away since 16th December, returning 2nd Jan.
Dread to think what state the pipes will be in on return......

Crapping is one thing you won't be doing on your return - at least not in your own toilet.

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

no running water in most of M20...

 

[shadygiz]

pour some hot water over the drain pipe outside, i had this with bathroom sink the other day....had to hang out of bathroom widow launching jugs of hot water out onto pipe.

an alternative to this is getting your down pipe trace heating lagged.....its a little electric element wire inside a sheath, like underfloor heating.....you wrap it round the length of the pipe and it can be swicthed on when needed

 

[Kippax.]

First of all you need to scream! scream really loud, while screaming wave your hands in the air like you need to get attention. Then while screaming and waving your arms in the air, run around all your rooms in the house and scream "Oh no what am i going to do".

Hope that helps :)

 

[simonk]

after weeks of freezing weather our sink backed up last night as things thawed, As such I thought it must be a blockage - so I spent an hour up to my elbows in U bends this morning. Managed to disconnect a couple of other pipes/hoses in the process meaning I kept finding new ways to pour water down the sleeves of my dressing gown and all over my slippers and then the kitchen floor.
Then went to buy some unblocking acid stuff which did nothing at all except to make the sink fill even more, but now with something that is harmful to skin and all other living things.

Eventually I went outside and had a brain wave - I pulled the pipe out of the elbow that takes it down to the grid. Hey presto - water poured out - all over the flags - but out!

Thing must be blocked/frozen down at the bottom.

Wish I seen this thread this morning