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

Solair

gaeilgegrinds wrote: »

Washing machine which is in shed is kaput. Am I better off trying to defrost pipes or will I just leave it? Not an emergency or anything but the thoughts of leaving all the washing while my OH's sister and two toddlers stay here and pile up the washing while pregnant myself is not pleasing me too much! We have a tiny trickle of water so fill the bath for the cistern when we can each day. This sucks!

If you can gently heat the shed you might be able to thaw it out. Do not use the machine until you're sure it's thawed as you will cause serious damage if the pump(s) or electrically operated valves are frozen.

Do not try to thaw it with a hairdryer or direct sources of heat. Just warm the room and be patient.

For anyone else with a washing machine outside.

Fully drain the machine i.e. remove the filter from the bottom and let ALL the water out into a tray / bucket or whatever you can when it is not in use.

Also, disconnect the inlet hoses from the back of the machine and allow them to drain so that there is no water lying in them.

Ideally, I would leave the water running into a drain to prevent freezing, when the machine is not in use. Although, do not do this if there is no sink near by / there is a risk you might flood the shed.

Sierra Oscar

I just got my water mains back in action by trying something err . . . different!:D

Perhaps this will work for someone else too. I knew where my water mains ran underground, so I got myself a bale of hay off of the neighbor and spread it out along the surface of the ground where the water mains is running underneath. I then got my blowtorch, and lit the hay on fire and kept it burning away until after around twenty minutes my water started flowing again.

mukki

no mains water this morning

in the garage..took pipes off water softner and left in sink of warm water
reconnected pipes bypassing water softner (its not working as its drain is blocked all week)

poured boiling water onto lid off the well, it was frozen shut
poured boiling water on the visable pipes above well

sorted :cool:

Graces7

Necessity being the mother of invention!!

The water here seems to come from a well with an underground pump... when it comes back it is with a great WHOOSH.. I have to be careful not to leave the kitchen tap on as I came in to a flood once.

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

I just got my water mains back in action by trying something err . . . different!:D

Perhaps this will work for someone else too. I knew where my water mains ran underground, so I got myself a bale of hay off of the neighbor and spread it out along the surface of the ground where the water mains is running underneath. I then got my blowtorch, and lit the hay on fire and kept it burning away until after around twenty minutes my water started flowing again.

Solair

Someone also suggested these methods of thawing a washing machine:

Unplug the machine, and disconnect the inlet pipe(s).

Fill several hot water bottles with a kettle (i.e. the same ones you would use in your bed).

Place these in the drum of the machine and close the door.

Remove the filter from the front of the machine to allow any ice to thaw and drain.

Wrap the machine in a couple of duvets and tie them on with string, particularly over the top of the machine.

Allow to thaw for several hours before attempting to use the machine. Check the machine carefully for any signs of ice in the filter chamber / pump and also in the fill drawer / fill valve area.

Replace the filter, and pour in some very hot (but not boiling water) into the drum (not the drawer, some machines are cold-fill only and you can melt the drawer with very hot water!). The machine can safely handle up to 90-95C without any problem i.e. boil a kettle and let it cool for a few mins then pour it in.

Unwrap and reconnect to the water + power and turn on ... if there is no water flowing within about 10 seconds, immediately switch off again as you have still got frozen valves and they can be damaged by operating them for long periods of time if they're jammed.



Or, if you've a couple of strong guys around / a hand-truck and have a water connection in a heated area of your house, perhaps bring the washing machine indoors. You can always hook it up where your dishwasher is, or use a Y-connector to connect both appliances and drain the washing machine into a sink and keep it inside until the weather returns to something a little more normal!

Also, if you are handling/lifting a washing machine, it's always a good idea to wear protective work gloves! They can be pretty damn nasty / sharp, as I have found out in house moves.

cian1500ww

Expansion tank frozen, water feed to shower frozen, and main's frozen.
Infra-red almp should sort the tank, hairdryer got the mains going and I've removed the insulation under the shower's pipe to let some heat from underneath up to it.

Harpy

cian1500ww wrote: »

Expansion tank frozen, water feed to shower frozen, and main's frozen.
Infra-red almp should sort the tank, hairdryer got the mains going and I've removed the insulation under the shower's pipe to let some heat from underneath up to it.

how long did you have to use the hairdryer for?? i've tried wrapping pipe in towl and pouring hot water over it but it didn't make any difference so might try the hairdryer approach next..

kazzpop

Hi there
Quick question. Is it ok to leave oil central heating on, even though there is no hot water in hot tap. we have cold water and tanks in attic are full..??
thanks

BigAl81

Hey hey,

Last night the mains water line coming into the house seems to have burst, brown sludge coming in the kitchen tap!!

Does any one know if it's safe to use the heating/showers. Don't want to sludge up the system in the house.

Lidl all out of still bottled water, most trolleys were half full with water, seems the problem is quite wide spread! On the plus side the roads out this way are relatively ok to drive on!

Loaction : Lucan Village.

Go Team!

billy the squid

The extreme cold was causing the smoke alarm to beep.

Sierra Oscar

kazzpop wrote: »

Hi there
Quick question. Is it ok to leave oil central heating on, even though there is no hot water in hot tap. we have cold water and tanks in attic are full..??
thanks

Yes, it should be ok. If you have a small tank in the attic it is most likely used to top up the central heating system, and if the tank is full you will have no problem. In anycase, the boiler unit should cut out if the water level in the system falls too low.

BigAl81 wrote: »

Hey hey,

Last night the mains water line coming into the house seems to have burst, brown sludge coming in the kitchen tap!!

Does any one know if it's safe to use the heating/showers. Don't want to sludge up the system in the house.

Lidl all out of still bottled water, most trolleys were half full with water, seems the problem is quite wide spread! On the plus side the roads out this way are relatively ok to drive on!

Loaction : Lucan Village.

Go Team!

I wouldnt if I were you, especially if muck is getting into the mains at the break. If I were you I would shut off the mains valve at the road and get someone in to mend that burst pipe whenever possible.

You will have issues down the line if muck gets into your tanks in the attic, where it could spread to electric showers and radiators and the like.

kleefarr

Mains water frozen from this morning.
Have tried thawing all day. Heating mains pipe under sink and hot water on mains stopcock outside. No joy.
Apparently half of Kilkenny City is without water.
Central heating is going. Tank in loft is half full. Open fire going. Loft door open.
Guess we'll be like this until the thaw.

darraghw

Have water in the house except the electric shower isnt working, it turns on, and the motor is running just no water coming out of it!. Anyone know how to fix this?

Sierra Oscar

kleefarr wrote: »

Mains water frozen from this morning.
Have tried thawing all day. Heating mains pipe under sink and hot water on mains stopcock outside. No joy.
Apparently half of Kilkenny City is without water.
Central heating is going. Tank in loft is half full. Open fire going. Loft door open.
Guess we'll be like this until the thaw.

The mains could be frozen underground outside . . .

darraghw wrote: »

Have water in the house except the electric shower isnt working, it turns on, and the motor is running just no water coming out of it!. Anyone know how to fix this?

Do your other hot/cold taps work in the bathrooms? Any chance you can get into the attic to see if your tanks are icing over? If its only the shower gone then either the specific feeder pipe is frozen or part of the shower unit itself is frozen. Was the bathroom the shower is in very cold last night?

I came across an electric shower the other day where the water had frozen in the little holding tank within the unit, and cracked the tank making the whole unit inoperable. If that happened to you though, the likelihood is you would spot a leak from the unit itself.

darraghw

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Do your other hot/cold taps work in the bathrooms? Any chance you can get into the attic to see if your tanks are icing over? If its only the shower gone then either the specific feeder pipe is frozen or part of the shower unit itself is frozen. Was the bathroom the shower is in very cold last night?

Thanks for the quick reply, all the taps are working fine in the house and I was up in the attic and the tank is ok, i put a small heater in the attic just to be on the safe side.

The bathroom is very cold but i haven't seen any signs of a leak coming from it so im quessing its the input to the shower itself, how would i go about thawing it out? or is it best just to wait?

Sierra Oscar

darraghw wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply, all the taps are working fine in the house and I was up in the attic and the tank is ok, i put a small heater in the attic just to be on the safe side.

The bathroom is very cold but i haven't seen any signs of a leak coming from it so im quessing its the input to the shower itself, how would i go about thawing it out? or is it best just to wait?

What make of a shower is it? The feeder pipe is probably going go be either frozen in the attic or at the junction into the shower unit itself. If you can locate the pipe in the attic leading to the unit in the bathroom you should be able to tell by trying to move it slightly whether it is frozen (you will hear a crackling sound). If its frozen up there then its just a case of directing your heater towards the pipe.

Now of course if the unit is still frozen it may not necessarily leak until it starts to thaw out so its worth keeping an eye out. You could try taking off the cover and having a peak internally at the unit but I wouldn't advise you do that unless you are comfortable doing so.

fozzle

We came back from a wedding and our pipes had burst and our ground floor is flooded.

haines35

Fozzle,very bad luck make sure to take some photos for evidence and remember that you "were not" away from your home for any long period as you were showing"due care and attention" by keeping the heating running and tap dripping etc....;) if you know what i mean!!

Pangea

billy the squid wrote: »

The extreme cold was causing the smoke alarm to beep.

Are u sure u didnt just burn pizza :P

darraghw

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

What make of a shower is it? The feeder pipe is probably going go be either frozen in the attic or at the junction into the shower unit itself. If you can locate the pipe in the attic leading to the unit in the bathroom you should be able to tell by trying to move it slightly whether it is frozen (you will hear a crackling sound). If its frozen up there then its just a case of directing your heater towards the pipe.

Now of course if the unit is still frozen it may not necessarily leak until it starts to thaw out so its worth keeping an eye out. You could try taking off the cover and having a peak internally at the unit but I wouldn't advise you do that unless you are comfortable doing so.

Thanks for all the help, everything seems fine in the unit but pipe in the attic is frozen so have the heater working on it now!

Ciaran500

mukki wrote: »

no mains water this morning

in the garage..took pipes off water softner and left in sink of warm water
reconnected pipes bypassing water softner (its not working as its drain is blocked all week)

poured boiling water onto lid off the well, it was frozen shut
poured boiling water on the visable pipes above well

sorted :cool:

Is all mains water in your house softened? Softened water isn't suitable for human consumption...

kazzpop

Thank you Sierra Oscar. Both tanks in attic are full of water. Just thought we couldnt have heat, at least we can now. thanks

caprilicious

Darraghw - we had that earlier this week, hubbie removed the shower head and water came gushing out, it was just the shower head itself that was frozen.
He was able to run hot water on it for a few seconds & get it back working.
Dunno if it might be worth a try?

Haines35 - just out of curiosity, of anything happend with our pipes/heating where we had to claim from the insurance, could they reject it because we didn't stay in the house?
The pipes are empty and the pump switched off so it doesn't try pump in water while we're away & heating system switched off.
We had to lock up the house and move out til it thaws as we've no heat/water and roads are impassable at our place

Staying with the inlaws last night and we heard a knock/crack noise in the kitchen - one of the double glazed windows had cracked due to the cold :eek:
We had boiled the kettle a few minutes before hand which is about 4 feet away from the window, so all I can guess is the combination of -11 temperature outside and whatever the temperature was inside made it crack, I've never seen anything like it before!

Sierra Oscar

My advice to everyone is to stay with your house for the coming days. There are countless amounts of people around here whose water pipes have burst in the attic leading to extensive flooding. Make sure you know where the valve is for your water mains leading into the house in case you need to shut it off in an emergency.

The biggest problem for people is leaking once the thaw actually begins. Your pipes may be burst now, but because they are frozen you will not notice any leaks. Once the thaw begins the leaks may also begin - that is why you need to have someone watching your house. It only takes a matter of hours for a burst pipe in your attic to bring down all your roofs - Iv seen it happen to six houses so far this week and it is not nice.

whatisayis

We have a combi condensing boiler which, I think, is operated by mains water pressure. This morning the exterior outlet pipe was frozen (although the boiler didn't cut out) so we used the hairdryer to clear it and it seems to be ok now.

If the mains freezes, can we still use the heating? Also today we have insulated the exterior (plastic) outlet pipe at the bottom i.e. where it drips into the drain - should we also insulate the top i.e. where it comes out of the house?

It would be very helpful if RTE could include advice on these kind of issues on every new bulletin. There is obviously a huge amount of people in the country who don't know what to do!

siochain

Kids just had a bath and about 10 minutes after the bath was emptied water started to drip from one of the light fitting in the kitchen for about 20 mins. I think its the wasted flow pipe is either blocked or burst.

Any suggestions?

SeaFields

Hi all,

This morning the main cold tap in the kitchen stopped working. All the others are working (bathroom hot and cold, kitchen hot).

Am in right in thinking this must be the mains pipe outside being frozen and any idea on how to fix this if at all? Thanks.

smelltheglove

siochain wrote: »

Kids just had a bath and about 10 minutes after the bath was emptied water started to drip from one of the light fitting in the kitchen for about 20 mins. I think its the wasted flow pipe is either blocked or burst.

Any suggestions?

Happened us a couple of times from kids spilling too much water. hope thats all it is for you. We turned off the light and left the heating on to dry out the area, mind your heating is most likely on now anyway.

Sierra Oscar

SeaFields wrote: »

Hi all,

This morning the main cold tap in the kitchen stopped working. All the others are working (bathroom hot and cold, kitchen hot).

Am in right in thinking this must be the mains pipe outside being frozen and any idea on how to fix this if at all? Thanks.

Indeed, your mains leading into the house is probably frozen. Go up into your attic and see if it is frozen leading into your water tanks. If it is, try leaving your attic trap door open with the heating on downstairs. Try also getting some high voltage bulbs and have them aimed towards the mains water pipe. A hair dryer could also help, or one of those electric fan heaters.

Just back from another house where the mains was frozen in the attic leading into the tanks - those attic's are bleedin cold!

You can tell if the mains is frozen by slightly moving it, you will hear a crackling sound if it is. If its not frozen up there, then its probably frozen underground outside.

mad DIY

An effective way of gently unfreezing an accessible frozen pipe is to soak some towels in warm water and then wrap them around the pipe.

If you know where the blockage is, try to thaw from the ends of blockage and work your way to the middle, and make sure there is somewhere for water to go (eg open tap) so that the expansion caused by thawing does not burst the pipe.

If you suspect your mains water supply has frozen, it may be that the stopcock where your inlet pipe joins the councils mains (usually under the pavement in front of you property) has frozen, as this seems to be happening a lot. The advice we got from Dublin Corporation was to open the shore over it and pour in some warm water ! The other thing you need to do is to look for any part of the supply pipe to the house being exposed, particularily where it enters the house, or through any works in progress along it's route, in these cases in this weather it will have frozen, unless it's lagged amazingly well.