With the cold and below zero temps, my water pipes froze. The pipes are pvc, I have a torpedo heater that I know can unfreeze them....do I go outside, put the heater in the crawl space and just set it there and wait until they thaw out ? should I open up the water valves in the house? is there any certain way I should do this so that the pipes don't burst?
2007-02-03 02:58:45 · 9 answers · asked by Lynnie 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The torpedo heater's a kerosene heater, blows hot air out at a high/hot speed (like a giant hair dryer) it's 110,000 BTU's and will be used from the outside, not in.
2007-02-03 04:30:54 · update #1
don't want to bear the bad news but if the pipes are frozen, the damage may already have been done. The pipes split because of the ice inside swells... You find out when they thaw.
1.)The thing to do to prevent the most damage would be turn off the main water to the house if you can. (2)open all the cold water faucets in the house to let the water drip out. (3) Now heat up the crawl space but MAKE SURE there is no flamable materials around or in the path of the Torpedo Heater you mentioned. (4)You will need to inspect the pipes, so after about an hour or so, turn the main water back on but only a small amount...turn off some of the cold valves in the house to build pressure in the lines.. (5) Now you should be able to inspect the lines in the crawl space.. if you need to, you can open the main valve a little more..
One more note.. Make sure to close any crawl space vents you may have before you start heating the space.
2007-02-03 03:23:30 · answer #1 · answered by Mrknowitall 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure what a torpedo heater is but, getting heat to the pipes is going to save them from bursting. Is it electric? If not watch out for Carbon Monoxide !!!Yes open the valve. They could be split also already, but froze, sometimes you don't know until you thaw ! A hair dryer can work too if you can get in the space to use it.
2007-02-03 03:04:38 · answer #2 · answered by nicenvt 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
open a faucet inside the house. If you're crawl space is 6 feet x 4 feet a light bulb should be enough to warm it up. Block off any places where air or drafts could get in. I don't recommend using the torpedo heater in that small of a space. If you can access the pipes easily a hair dryer may work to thaw them quicker. A light bulb should make enough heat to thaw them as well, but will probably take longer. The pipes won't burst from thawing them, pipes burst/split when the water freezes. water expands when it freezes. I would suggest one of those clamp on lights with the silver hood on them, about $10. cpvc is yellowish in color, pvc is white. They are supposed to be able to withstand freezing without splitting however if they are old this is not always true. Make sure you keep an eye on the thawing progress, listen for water running in the crawl. good luck.
2016-05-23 23:13:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a small space where my pump and pipes are.I put insulation inside this crawl space and put a electrical box with a 100 watt light inside...i put the light on usually in november and may have to change it one time during the winter,,i use a bulb with a {plastic like coating} so it doesnt burst and is easier to remove.....when the bulb did burst my pipes froze and i just replaced the bulb,open the taps and withing 10 minutes the pipes unthawed.....when you open the taps it relieves the pressure and gives the water a chance to run,,,{also when you see the water coming out you know the pipes are unthawed}...put insulation so it doesnt touch the light bulb...there are foam wraps you can put on pipes also to help a little.
2007-02-03 03:17:23 · answer #4 · answered by coonie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You got the right idea. They may already be broken so be ready. Open an outside faucet if possible because they don't have strainers on them and depending on how much and how hard pipes froze they tend to dislodge any build up and plug faucet strainers. Make sure your heater isn't too close to anything flammable. A house fire is not a good way to thaw out pipes.
2007-02-03 03:14:38 · answer #5 · answered by Ibeeware 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your on the right track. The damage is done, all you are doing is unthawing the ice that is formed. Opening the valves just lets the water through as soon as anything is thawed and lets the moving water unthaw the rest of the ice. You need to get heat tape for the pipes so that it will not happen again.
2007-02-03 03:10:43 · answer #6 · answered by wewally 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when our pipes froze, we put a heater in the crawlspace & left the taps open (when the water came out we knew the pipes were thawed) the following spring, when it was warmer, we wrapped the pipes with heat tape & insulation. when it starts to get cold, we plug in the heat tape & when it warms up, we unplug it
2007-02-03 03:06:03 · answer #7 · answered by cheezy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am not a plumber, but PLEASE use caution with the heater. Many home fire have started thawing pipes. use some forethought. If you have a family, have them go stay somewhere for the time being. Have a couple of fire extinguishers at hand.
Do not leave the heater unattended. Now, hopefully a plumber can help you further.
2007-02-03 03:05:16 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
try this link
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod02/01500172.html
2007-02-03 03:09:21 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋