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

Birroc

My boiler is in shed but underground pipes leading to the house have frozen. What are the chances they will burst? And can the ice spread into the house itself? How will I know if they are burst or not when the thaw comes??

Bruthal

Birroc wrote: »

My boiler is in shed but underground pipes leading to the house have frozen. What are the chances they will burst? And can the ice spread into the house itself? How will I know if they are burst or not when the thaw comes??

If they do burst and its a sealed system the pressure will drop on the pressure guage as the system loses water. If its an open system you could tie off the ballcock in the small header tank in the attic and see does the header tank level drop which would indicate its losing water.

Are the pipes in concrete? Sometimes they push fittings off the ends rather than burst.

ednwireland

lovely christmas morn and the mains in have finally given up the ghost ( dont know what was different last night compared to the previous seven)
at least the inlaws are cooking (and have water)

kryogen

Our pipes been frozen for 2 days now, not fun with a 1 year old! Really hope they thaw a bit soon

Bruthal

ednwireland wrote: »

lovely christmas morn and the mains in have finally given up the ghost ( dont know what was different last night compared to the previous seven)
at least the inlaws are cooking (and have water)

Yes same here, mains frozen coming in, it was working slightly and as it was pouring into sink it was turning to slush and ice instantly, then just froze,, its like the day after tomorrow, except its today:)

km79

aaaaggghhhh!!!! we were doing so well. still had water at 8am then 2 hours later nothing it went xmas day last year 2 and did not come back for 3 weeks

Stinicker

km79 wrote: »

aaaaggghhhh!!!! we were doing so well. still had water at 8am then 2 hours later nothing it went xmas day last year 2 and did not come back for 3 weeks

Similar situation here was doing great all along but the mains has now gone through no fault of my own, have just a bare trickle and the toilet cistern take almost an hour to fill. I think the main pipe from the reservoir must have burst as I am only one of three houses locally with water all along and the other two are down to a trickle this morning also, everything internally by me was fine but as usual Kerry County Council has failed us. The alternate private group scheme is frozen locally with a week so unless the projected thaw comes people will have to buy bottled water and go to rivers and streams (which have a foot of ice on them) for their non human consumption water needs.

Birroc

robbie7730 wrote: »

If they do burst and its a sealed system the pressure will drop on the pressure guage as the system loses water. If its an open system you could tie off the ballcock in the small header tank in the attic and see does the header tank level drop which would indicate its losing water.

Are the pipes in concrete? Sometimes they push fittings off the ends rather than burst.

Thanks. I think its an open system with a small header tank in attic. Pipes are in concrete as they are leaving the shed and entering house. Would insurance cover a leak like that? We obviously didn't have the heat on during the cold nights.

BonBon101

does anyone no how to unfreeze a non telescopic stop cock made by tyco!im not sure if pouring warm water on it will damage it?

its this one if any one knows anything about it
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:rThNgr8y20QJ:sbooth.biz/pdf/INSTALLATION%2520INSTRUCTION%2520SHEETS/TWW%2520Meterboxes_Installation%2520Instructions.pdf+non+telescopic+tyco&hl=en&gl=ie&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh1-lurgy3eALxzELiwSta58sv76Fh27O2J2n9qCyEVIoWYD124E5VJsHz9Q0XlaT3Ts8laneUYOYFK49jA4RpfJ2a1PI6kWfLWpQfPpFKb4S_UDRRdivt_VidAXsBqZglDha5O&sig=AHIEtbStiwLoK0FziMio7WHiG25aQ1ZqWw

isle of man

well had the first pipes to go bang for 10 years.

handy it was the pipe that runs above the fuse box in the gasrage,

so no water or elec in the shed now.

Sponge Bob

Birroc wrote: »

Thanks. I think its an open system with a small header tank in attic. Pipes are in concrete as they are leaving the shed and entering house. Would insurance cover a leak like that? We obviously didn't have the heat on during the cold nights.

Mightn't leak at all, cover them with hay and black binliners on top of it next time.

Corruptedmorals

Spoke too soon, thought the pipes being pushed further underneath the ground otuside than most would have saved us...went around 4 this morning. The tank emptied as well, but we have extra water now from nrighbours. Crazy how cold it was last night, our pipes froze in 78 and 82 and that was it, 28 years!

Saganist

Pipes frozen in D11 today. No water

mel.b

Hi. Am in Ennis, clare. Left home at 12.30 today with the heatingg set to come on at 7pm. Got home around 8.30and the heating is on, but have no cold water at the kitchen sink (had enough to fill half a kettle and no more). Still have hot water though.

Have never had to deal with frozen pipes before and I'm renting, so i don't know how things are set up. Do you think there is a frozen pipe or has the council turned off the water overnight? Checked their website and it hasn't been updated since the 23rd. Should i leave the heating on overnight?

Thanks

para45

Due to all preventative measures taken Thank God no problems yet Boiler been runnning for 5 days solidly on very low. The boiler is 14 years old but due to regular good maintenance she runs like a dream and is very economical

BUT de-iced the water troff in the field with a sledge hammer that was more than a foot thick with ice and 4 foot long for animals on Friday and managed to put some new water in as pipes ball and cock was frozen. Xmass morning was -9.5 @0900 . Was outside at 21.00 with -6.5 and heard the water filling on and off as it was being used and the ball and cock was doing its job. Has it become so cold that all the moisture is out of the air and its dry like Europe where you see the fountains tap still running in the villages when sking in the alps at way below the ( - ).

But there are people who have frozen pipes indoors and this ball cock isnt freezing up any more due to it being colder than during the week when it frozen

lomb

para45 wrote: »

Due to all preventative measures taken Thank God no problems ... ball and cock was frozen.... as it was being used and the ball and cock was doing its job

I think its a ball cock not a ball and cock;)

Radharc na Sleibhte

lomb wrote: »

I think its a ball cock not a ball and cock;)

Are we still talking about plumbing?

Cleavage1970

ok guys I need some help!!

Last thursday it started - kid flushed the loo upstairs in main bathroom and it came up the bath plughole, ran the tap in the handbasin and it filled and didnt go down, so I thought - waste pipes frozen outside and out i went with towels. kettles of water and a 12 ft ladder, now this seemed to 'fix' the problem up until fri morning when again the loo was flushed and it then came up the handbasin so out we went again with the towels and kettles and 'fixexd' problem. To be on safe side we decided not to use that bathroom and all was well till yesterday evening I went in to get a load for the washing machine and there was water all over the floor, turns out the cistern in loo was working right and water was dripping into toilet bowl, backing up into the bath (which wasnt plumbed right) and all over the floor. Needless to say we fixed the toilet problem and bailed out the bath for damage limitation.

What is causing the main waste pipe to back up? Is it a simple thing like its just frozen or something worse? That bathroom is only used about twice a day by the kids in the morning so I doubt anything blocking it....what you think?

Sounds like a frozen waste pipe just after where it enters the ground, with luck it should clear later today, the thaw is a coming.

reliable4eddie

Hi, I'm in Athboy Co. Meath with no water, is it just me or all of Athboy

morgana

Water is free again but thanks to stupid Co. Council who installed a flow meter for some project and never bothering to remove it again, it has now cracked and is leaking like there's no tomorrow. SO still no water. Frustrating as hell.

djhaxman

Pipes froze for the first time this morning - the day the thaw starts :rolleyes:

Cleavage1970

Hi Reliable, I'm in Athboy too and have water - just can't get the damn stuff out of upstairs! Have heard some of the town has no water coming in alright, if you are stuck let me know and we can work something out.

Cleavage1970

Thanks dolanbaker, am hoping you are right:rolleyes:

Bruthal

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Mightn't leak at all, cover them with hay and black binliners on top of it next time.

Or put in a frost stat to bring boiler on, or some fernox combined antifreeze/inhibitor into the header maybe.

snaps

Just got my attic tanks back, huge bang then they started filling. Have been up to inspect for damage and bursts but all seems well, thankfully.

nchamoh

The pipes have thawed and we got up with water all over the place. there most be a leak in the system. i thing we have to get a plumber in to get it fixed. I have closed both inlet and outlet pipes. hope this is the right thing to do.

Wertz

Went to make tea this morning...cold tap died to a trickle, then nada. Suppose I did well to last this long without any problems. seems like the neighbours are all off too.
Odd that this is the first morning temps have been over 2C here for ages and a thaw is well under way.

My granny's house had a water pipe from the attic tank burst overnight too. Again, she's done well to go this long without any problems.

homolumo

Still no water back, how long do I wait before calling for assistance?

Aiel

Half of Galway city without water tonight.I havent had a shower since Friday morning-im the great unwashed,i should carry around a bell "unclean,unclean":P.