Frozen pipes? A little help over here....

[FreakofSnow]

Well, I think I may be fucked. I was doing the dishes and all the sudden the water just stopped.......... Nothing..........flipped all the breakers on the fuse box and out on the service pole. Went under the house and looked for broken pipes.....nothing. Went to the pump house, nothing noteworthy.

Its -10 and was -16 last night, today the high was around 5.

This is a first for me, any advice?

i want to go skiing tomorrow not deal with some plumber and his crack

[Blurred]

Depends if you're on public water or a well.

[iceman]

You were running water and it just stopped? And there's no water to the whole house? Doesn't sound like frozen pipes if that's the case, more likely a fucked pump if all the breakers are okay as you say. Snap the breakers off and on and if that doesn't do anything call a plumber, sorry dude.

[Blurred]

You were running water and it just stopped? And there's no water to the whole house? Doesn't sound like frozen pipes if that's the case, more likely a fucked pump if all the breakers are okay as you say. Snap the breakers off and on and if that doesn't do anything call a plumber, sorry dude.

public water doesn't have pumps. We've ruled out plumbing as your day job.

[release]

Get some heat under there. Time will tell if they are broken or just frozen. Be prepared to shut off your main if there is a leak - it can get messy real quick. If you can not get any heat under there then a plumber can come out and put an electric charge on your pipes which will thaw the pipes, but again be prepared for a leak.

[Nate Dogg]

public water doesn't have pumps. We've ruled out plumbing as your day job.

Have we established that it is public water?

[splat]

Do you have a heat bulb burning in the pump house and heat wraps on pipes from the well to the pressure tank? You might have used the water in the tank, but have a frozen pipe between the well and the tank.

[Blurred]

Have we established that it is public water?

We haven't established shit yet, except that Freak isn't on the board right now.

[FreakofSnow]

Oh I am here alright, I was just over at the Acme plumbing site.

I am not on a public water system.

No water anywhere in the house. Dammit

[Blurred]

Oh I am here alright, I was just over at Acme plumbing.

So quit jacking us off. Are you on well or public water?

Editkay. go find your pump and reset it. Flip the switch ON THE PUMP off and then back on. Take a flashlight too.

[elevens]

What's your pressure level/PSI? If it's showing 20 to 30 and no water - you might have frozen pipes. Do you have any leaks. Frozen pipes will burst at the coldest point (far away from the pump)

Do you know how to purge your lines?

Here in VT we have this problem every winter.

elevens

[nutcase]

We haven't established shit yet, except that Freak isn't on the board right now.

I would say its fairly safe to assume its not public water. If the guy has a pump house its not public water.

[splat]

pump house.

[nutcase]

And I agree with the poster who said that its likely not frozen pipes if you were running water and it just stopped. Running water generally will not freeze up on you- it needs to be stopped for a bit

[Nate Dogg]

Oh I am here alright, I was just over at the Acme plumbing site.

I am not on a public water system.

No water anywhere in the house. Dammit

I'm going to throw out a thought on this - but I am far from a plumber. Although it doesn't sound as if you've got frozen pipes, it wouldn't be the worst idea to shut off the water coming from the well in case a frozen pipe were to break. Realistically though I can't see how frozen pipes could be the case if you went from normal flow to nothing...pipes don't freeze in the blink of an eye and there should be a progression from full flow to slow trickle to nothing. Anyway of testing the pump?

[Blurred]

I would say its fairly safe to assume its not public water. If the guy has a pump house its not public water.

Good point, except that him not reseting the pump tells me what he thought was the "pumphouse" could very well be the "outhouse".

[Blurred]

Just go reset the pump. It used to happen to me in my old house all the time.

[FreakofSnow]

And I agree with the poster who said that its likely not frozen pipes if you were running water and it just stopped. Running water generally will not freeze up on you- it needs to be stopped for a bit

Okay standby I am going to run back out to the pump house and check the PSI guage. I did just throw a heater near the well casing (i think thats what it is). Its the mess of pipes coming up out of the ground and going over to the pressure tank.

No leaks that I can tell.

No, I don't know how to purge my lines

I'll be back.

God I love this forum, wayyyyyyyyyy better than Bob Villa ever hopes to be.

[splat]

First thing to check is if the pump runs. If the pump runs, is there water in the tank? No water in tank, pipe frozen in the pump house. What's the temp in there? Water in tank, problem is therefore elsewhere. Pipes buried 32" or more below ground - pipes under house likely broken and you should be able to hear the gushing. Did you close the foundation vents this fall? If it ain't one of those, move - the place is haunted.

[BakerBoy]

I've come to help. Mount it at 79.5cm from the tail.

[iceman]

Went to the pump house, nothing noteworthy.

Brett, this was in the first paragraph. You're right, public water doesn't have pumps.

edit: nevermind, I see it's been covered.

[Beaver]

We haven't established shit yet, except that Freak isn't on the board right now.

Hhe did mentio that he went to the pump house. Public systems have them but you don't go to them you call the city. Sounds like a private well to me.

[Blurred]

Hhe did mentio that he went to the pump house. Public systems have them but you don't go to them you call the city. Sounds like a private well to me.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Beaver]

Freak - leaks don't usually happen with frozen pipes. They usually happen with frozen then thawed pipes. To fuck up your pipes you need to freeze them hard (solid and very cold). Good luck.

[LaramieSkiBum]

running water wont freeze.

Something is fucked with your system.

Your pipes will be fucked if you don't purge them or get your water running.

If you have any compressed air you could try blowing your line from house to pumphouse if your setup for it. Even if you do this you could freeze some pipes. Compressed air can't get all the water out and it will collect in the low points and freeze.

edit: someone above said 32" for a freeze depth. I don't know where he is, but here in wyoming it's much more like 4' to 6'. We don't get the snow cover that he might have. Snow would insulate the ground.