Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] Frozen pipe

09 December 2013

Re: [DIY] Frozen pipe

From: Alma Lewandowski
My kitchen faucet wont turn on today. I have opened the cupboard and have
a 1300 watt heater blowing in there plus the nearby oven on at 200 degrees
with cardboard channeling the heat toward the open cupboard where the pipes
are. (plus a pot of hot water) Should this thaw the pipes if its
possible? This is in Portland OR, where it must have gone below freezing
last night........unusual. Any suggestions appreciated.............
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Is it ONLY the kitchen faucet?

Unless the temperature in your kitchen dropped to below freezing the problem
is not in the pipes under the cabinet. Providing heat at that point isn't
going to help. Check the temperature where the pipes access the ground (ie.
basement), although I doubt it's a problem with frozen pipes. Even in
Portland OR, building codes are going to have the pipes in the ground below
the frost level (how far down the ground freezes during cold/winter
temperatures). More likely is that there's a blockage or break somewhere.
First thing I'd do is check with a neighbor or two and see if they have
water. Strangely enough, sometimes the water company turns off the water to
a street/neighborhood for a while, without informing anyone. If none of
your faucets have water, and neither do neighbors, then that's a
possibility. The other possibility there is a break in the supply line,
which the water company will have to fix. In other words, there's a
multitude of reasons *other* that the pipes freezing which can cause a lack
of water in a faucet.

I used to live in the north SF Bay area of CA, and the temperatures in late
winter/early spring regularly go down to the teens with no effect on our
water supply. However, one year, it got down to 8°F for an extended period
and that did cause some pipes in the *ground* to freeze and break. That was
highly unusual, though. Now, I live in the snow belt of western NY state,
where normal winter temps are below zero F. Pipes in the ground here are at
least 48 inches down, usually a bit more...below the frost level. I've only
had one pipe freeze and break - an above ground water pipe running under my
unheated back porch/mudroom. My kitchen sink pipes are near an un-insulated
outside wall, and the only time I open the cabinet doors to let the warmth
of the rest of the house under the cabinet, is when the temps go down into
the minus degrees for a prolonged period of time.

Sandaidh
sandaidh@atlanticbb.net