Post here if your boiler has failed or your pipes have frozen!

Sofiztikated

bbam wrote: »

The fact that you have water at the kitchen sink means you're mains supply to the house is not frozen...great news

You're problem is most likely in the attic, probably poorly lagged pipes near the tank or the tank itself frozen... It would be well worth getting a fan type heater, bring it up to the attic, you may need an extension lead. Put the heater going blowing the hot air in the direction of the tank/pipes.. Make sure the heater is sitting on a solid surface, big flat roasting tin would be good..
Check it's OK regularly and fingers crossed it would thaw out you're problem..

I know there is a "thaw" coming after christmas but no guarentee this will free you're water any way quickly... Best give it a go and you may have water back in a few hours... If you place the heater safely then there is nothing to loose.... I explained this to my mother yeaterday (she's 65) and she had her own water going in 2 hours..

Yeah, got a loan of a super ser today, and have it going full tilt under the attic entrance. Just going about an hour, and Mrs called me in work to tell me there's a drip coming from the roof, as in the actual roof not the ceiling. I'm guessing any condensation that may have been in the attic froze, and that's it thawing out.

morgana

No water since 2 days and not likely to come back before thaw actually happens. Own well and well head outside pump house, even concentrated hair dryer action had no effect . Have now given up attempting to get the pipes free, thanks to god for good neighbours whose water is going

Aldebaran

We've had no water since Monday. Living in the house 12 years now and it's the first time this has happened.

sleepyescapade

no water since this morning

Derfil

Bearing went on the boiler. Fixed now.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

If you suspect that the pipes in tha attic are freezing, you should open the trap door to allow some of the heat to rise and thaw/prevent freezing.

Only downside is it chills the house.

I advised a neighbour to do this, it took until today for the pipes to completely thaw out, - 15 here last night. Today I fitted one of those IR lamps above her tank and beefed up the pipe insulation.

Stinicker

Have a read of my thread here of the steps I took after the January chaos and how I am surviving this worse blast much more effectively. Ok I spent a nice wad of money in my two houses but it was worth every penny and had I not taken the preventative action I am sure that across both my properties the repair costs would actually exceed what I spent in prevention.

As a keen Weather watcher, I consider these Antarctic like conditions to become more prevalent due to solar variation combined with the right type of Lunar phases. I think we will get another cold snap less severe than this again in January and this is just the beginning of what will be decades of colder winters for Ireland as the natural cycles ebb and flow.

boatbuilder

My mains water stopped working this morning. Dug down outside the kitchen window and disconnected the pipe, poured several gallons of boiling water all around that area....but still nothing.
Went looking for somewhere to get water.....Local lakes all frozen over with thick ice so resorted to melting snow in pots in the kitchen. Got a length of rubber pipe, thrust it into the end of the water pipe and using a funnel poured boiling water into the pipe....still nothing.
Went out to the water scheme meter at the road and poured boiling water on it as well....still nothing.

I reckon its frozen somewhere between my house and the connection at the road (about 300 feet away).

So, it looks like I'm stuck with no water over Christmas and possibly further since we are in a frost pocket in Ulster which may not even see a decent thaw this side of 2011. Wife is starting to panic.

Now thinking of hooking up my air compressor to the end of the pipe and seeing if that does anything.

Sierra Oscar

The bathroom in my extension has no water . . . totally forgot it is running off a separate tank in a separate attic due to the electric shower. :rolleyes:

Had a quick look up there tonight, tank totally frozen over along with the inlet and outlet pipes. Im going to spend an hour or so up there with a hair dryer to get things going again in the morning, works wonders. For now I have left the trap door to that attic section open to prevent further damage.

Pa ElGrande

boatbuilder wrote: »

I reckon its frozen somewhere between my house and the connection at the road (about 300 feet away).

So, it looks like I'm stuck with no water over Christmas and possibly further since we are in a frost pocket in Ulster which may not even see a decent thaw this side of 2011. Wife is starting to panic.

Try this method with bales of hay -> http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=63901747#post63901747

lolie

water froze here few times so have a tap running from early evenin all week, sisters water froze all week, brothers water froze few days ago but ok now, back door here keeps freezing with the condensation running down it. another brothers girlfriend has 100 cattle without water this few days, pipes froze 2ft under ground. and ice on lough sheelin is thicker than january, bout 4 inches r more

Pa ElGrande

lolie wrote: »

water froze here few times so have a tap running from early evenin all week, sisters water froze all week, brothers water froze few days ago but ok now

tip: If you are going to run off water then don't waste it, collect it and give it to your neighbour who may have already frozen.

lolie

Pa ElGrande wrote: »

tip: If you are going to run off water then don't waste it, collect it and give it to your neighbour who may have already frozen.

live in a rural spot so not many neighbours, if any come lookin for it their welcome to it, its our spring well and has endless water in it considering it hasnt rained in over a month

homolumo

Our water is gone, we have our own well so not much can be done. Just have to wait and see.

zing

Had mains water at kitchen sink all week but wasn't getting up to the attic. Heating on constantly - most pipes in attic insulated so figured it was pressure related rather than freezing pipes as this has happened a couple of times before when sdcc were rationing water at night. Now nothing at kitchen sink. Hot water bottles & hair dryers stuffed in around stopcock now in the slight hope that it'll help.

Sierra Oscar

Our main tanks had a thin layer of ice on them this morning - and we have two heat lamps overhead! :eek:

The water inlet is frozen over in an isolated section of the attic so I am trying to thaw that now.

Popoutman

No mains water as the muppets that built the estate cut yet another corner by having the main water entries into the houses just under the bricks outside the house.
I had full pressure yesterday evening, and this morning there was none.
Some houses still have water in the estate.

The ways that developers shaved costs makes me really cross sometimes.
Looks likely that the ground won't thaw much until at least the new year :mad:

Sofiztikated

My superser worked. Took 8 hours of it going full tilt until the water came back. As soon as it did, the heating went on, and stayed on!

Going to sow through gas, but I don't care, a gas bill can be paid, but cold house and no water is hell.

Question now, will the heating/hot water stop the cold water from freezing again?

bbam

Sofiztikated wrote: »

My superser worked. Took 8 hours of it going full tilt until the water came back. As soon as it did, the heating went on, and stayed on!

Going to sow through gas, but I don't care, a gas bill can be paid, but cold house and no water is hell.

Question now, will the heating/hot water stop the cold water from freezing again?

Great news... Just back in time for the big fella tonight

If you're worried about a repeat then prop open the attic hatch 2 inches, it will let enough heat up to keep things thawed... It takes much less heat to keep frost away than to thaw it from frozen...

you can sort something more permanent after the seasonal event... A heat lamp with a frost stat is best, €50 would set it up and your mind would be at ease in future..

Well done you

flutegirl

No water here this morning, surprised the pipes hadn't frozen before now... Bring on the thaw!

ciaran67

Deep Easterly wrote: »

I know it is not on the same scale of inconvenience as a frozen or burst pipe, but my mop bucket, in which my mop is placed, is frozen rock hard solid. No mop for a while now. :pac:

I must try that excuse with the hoover

Sofiztikated

bbam wrote: »

Great news... Just back in time for the big fella tonight

If you're worried about a repeat then prop open the attic hatch 2 inches, it will let enough heat up to keep things thawed... It takes much less heat to keep frost away than to thaw it from frozen...

you can sort something more permanent after the seasonal event... A heat lamp with a frost stat is best, €50 would set it up and your mind would be at ease in future..

Well done you

I was delighted. As I mentioned before, I'm not well, and flushing the jax using basins of water was boke inducing!

Don't have to worry about this house for the next freeze, I'm moving into my new house in Jan, and then I'll sort out the freeze prevention for it!

cynder

NO water pressure so tank not filling, only at night if we are lucky. still have mains water. just cooked the ham and cooking the turkey now.

maquiladora

E.C. on the news just said the rain may turn to freezing rain/snow in northern areas on the 26th for a few hours but then it would be rain for all areas that night and on the 27th.

Bruthal

Attic water tank mains feed froze yesterday. You can force water up into it using the mains tap connected to the hot tap and turn both on, or if its a mixer tap just block it then on with hot then cold, as long as you have mains water to the kitchen sink and it has full pressure.

Leave attic doors open to let some heat into attic to help prevent freezing pipes.

homolumo

As I posted earlier water gone since last night. We have a private well and I was wondering if one of the pipes is frozen is it better to knock off the pump in the well?

Chicken Run

lost the water supply into the house (own well) but we had an extra header tank fitted this year so have a bit of leeway...
Had a bath last night and didn't let out the water (half expecting a freeze) so we can use that to flush the toilets.
Stream a short walk away to get water for the animals (cunning use of a wheelbarrow and buckets)
Plenty of wine to drink and a packet of babywipes to have a wash...sorted !!!

snaps

Was out yesterday until early this morning. Both my attic tanks are frozen solid. I still have mains in the kitchen. Ive tried pouring warm water into the tanks to de ice them but water still a trickle. They are not filling up either. Im wondering if i should try and turn the mains supply off to them incase they burst?

Bruthal

snaps wrote: »

Was out yesterday until early this morning. Both my attic tanks are frozen solid. I still have mains in the kitchen. Ive tried pouring warm water into the tanks to de ice them but water still a trickle. They are not filling up either. Im wondering if i should try and turn the mains supply off to them incase they burst?

I would leave as is, they are probably as frozen as they will get. Put a heater in the attic if you can, and leave attic door open.

fryup

TIP - wrap an old cloth or towel around a frozen pipe and pour hot water on it, the cloth will retain the heat and eventually thaw out any ice blockage