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Original poster

Frozen Water Pipes - help and solidarity

51 replies

JMAngel1 · 15/12/2022 07:52

It's -5 here in NW and our water pipes have frozen. Yesterday it was just the hot taps but today it's all taps. DH has been around to try to locate but no visible frozen pipe - they are mostly hidden under floorboards/ walls.
Plumber has no solutions - we just have to wait for it to thaw apparently - temperature warming up to above freezing on Sunday!
We've got the heating on round the clock since this happened - I've turned the smart meter to face the wall as I can't look at it - it reached £16.78 yesterday.

Anyone else in this boat? Any tips or just solidarity?

OP posts:
FleasNavidad · 15/12/2022 08:25

Also in NW, our water is still hot but radiators not coming on. Slowly trying to thaw the pipe now. It hit -8 last night 🥶

ImAvingOops · 15/12/2022 08:29

Make sure that every visible pipe in the loft is lagged. You can keep the house warm enough to not burst pipes but the roof gets very cold - I had a burst pipe in the loft one year and it trashed the walls, floor and ceiling of the room underneath.

I don't know why your plumber has no idea - maybe a second opinion would be handy.

Beginningless · 15/12/2022 08:33

Scotland here, I think -10 at times, our downstairs bathroom hot tap froze yesterday but after £80 plumber call out and being advised to have heating in overnight then it’s working today, no sign of bursting, so relieved. I’m going to remember to do the heating thing in future. Know it’s expensive but better than the expense of a burnt pipe and the possible horror of loss of heating.

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Original poster
JMAngel1 · 15/12/2022 08:39

@Beginningless what did your plumber do?
The plumbers I rang wouldn't even come out - said they were all too busy and that 90% of time there was nothing that could be done other than wait for thaw. Sounds strange to me.

OP posts:
ImAvingOops · 15/12/2022 08:45

It might be worth you getting a specific insurance policy for plumbing and electrics and boiler etc. I have one with British Gas. They can be dire at times but when my pipe burst they were out within a couple of hours. They wouldn't just say they were too busy to come out - they'd give you advice at least.

Original poster
JMAngel1 · 15/12/2022 09:12

Good idea. Not sure I could open an insurance policy now though and then try to claim on it straight away?

I think United Utilities offer one - I’ll call them, be honest and see what they say.

OP posts:
ImAvingOops · 15/12/2022 09:14

It might not help you now but it's a good thing to have in future, with things going the way they are. It was a lifesaver for me when my boiler broke at Christmas, about 2 weeks after I'd taken out the policy. I've been really unlucky with pipes and hot water tanks etc and I've claimed on it loads.

ScornedChicken · 15/12/2022 09:22

Beginningless · 15/12/2022 08:33

Scotland here, I think -10 at times, our downstairs bathroom hot tap froze yesterday but after £80 plumber call out and being advised to have heating in overnight then it’s working today, no sign of bursting, so relieved. I’m going to remember to do the heating thing in future. Know it’s expensive but better than the expense of a burnt pipe and the possible horror of loss of heating.

We had it happen too, also a neighbour (new builds).

Things that help:

Lagging for visible pipes as others have said. If pipes located in garage get the door insulated with a kit, plug all gaps (takes ages and I can't access door but better than the burst pipe). Also added a seal on floor below garage door and above to plug large gaps (massive gaps that shouldn't have been there, damn new builds).

Making sure all joints are tight and not leaking or dripping as that's a ticking time bomb 💣 when it gets cold (for visible metal pipes that is). Our stop cock burst one year. So I periodically check that. I've also shut off the water to the outside tap (valve under utility sink) and kept the outdoor tap open to prevent burst pipe on advice of plumber.

RedToothBrush · 15/12/2022 09:31

Our kitchen tap has frozen this morning. Also NW. Apparently - 11 here overnight. Heating was on.

The outside tap appears to have frozen and we think it's frozen all the way to the t junction with the rest of the kitchen.

There realistically isn't much we can do to insulate it because of how short the pipe outside is (it just goes straight to the tap).

We've cracked the heating up this morning and are running a fan heater under the sink. And praying.

I only ever recall it getting this cold around here once before and only for a day or two so very unprecedented.

I am also pretty miserable because this level of cold is likely to have killed a number of my most loved plants in the garden which were hardy but not to this degree.

We are supposed to be away for a night at the weekend, so if it doesn't defrost we may have a problem on return (water is going to be shut off at the stop cock).

Thoroughly depressed as the house has been plagued by plumbing problems since we moved in.

FleasNavidad · 15/12/2022 10:07

We're meant to be away at the weekend too. I think I will ring and see about cancelling. Hopefully we will have heating before then but the forecast shows freezing rain over the next day or too

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 15/12/2022 10:13

Rural west Yorks. DM (80 next month, cancer patient) condensate pipe frozen, so no heating or hot water. It should be easy to thaw, but it's 5m up the back of the house, and can't reach it from any windows either.

Original poster
JMAngel1 · 15/12/2022 11:11

Oh god, sorry to you all. It’s rubbish.
I have a different plumber coming today now who is a frozen pipe specialist. Fingers crossed he can do something. I’ve taken out insurance which does have a 25 day no claim exclusion period but at least we’ll be covered going forward.
I’m also going to get a thermostat fitted to the boiler as the heating has been a guessing game. If I don’t let it drop below 18, less chance of this happening apparently.

OP posts:
slavetothekittens · 15/12/2022 12:01

Solidarity here....kitchen sink pipe frozen. Am trying to warm it up a bit, didn't intend to spend the morning in the under the sink cupboard!

Everything else seems okay luckily although I'm not chancing putting the washing machine on.

Beginningless · 15/12/2022 12:08

JMAngel1 · 15/12/2022 08:39

@Beginningless what did your plumber do?
The plumbers I rang wouldn't even come out - said they were all too busy and that 90% of time there was nothing that could be done other than wait for thaw. Sounds strange to me.

It’s a plumber we use a lot so he’s lovely and came in a few hrs. But it was same as you, £80 for nothing really. He looked under floor (it’s a v old house with a cavity underneath) and said it would be like a needle in a haystack trying to locate where the freeze was. He said they would be there hours trying to locate it which would be expensive for us and maybe not necessary. Told me all the signs to look out for if it bursts (boiler constantly firing when not in use, steam rising in room where burst is.

FleasNavidad · 15/12/2022 15:03

"Everything else seems okay luckily although I'm not chancing putting the washing machine on."

Sorry to sound a bit dim but what might the issue be with putting a wash on?

Original poster
JMAngel1 · 15/12/2022 15:27

Well potentially if it doesn't fill with water, it could do damage to the machine?

OP posts:
RedToothBrush · 15/12/2022 16:33

Our hot tip for the day (see what I did there!)

The space under your cupboards behind the kick boards is where you get all the cold air under the sink in the kitchen. Find a way to aim a hair drier in the gap. (it's wedged in the gap created opening the dishwasher for us)

Heat the air.

Switch your tap on slightly so you know when the water is defrosted.

Wait.

Its taken a while once DH figured out where to target but we now have water back and we don't appear to have had the pipe go yet.

He's been trying all day bless him!!!

Thank fuck!!!

MintJulia · 15/12/2022 16:37

I woke up this morning to the loo in the main bathroom on 'slow fill' meaning the pipes are partially frozen. The bathroom window was frozen shut too. It was -7 last night.

I'll be leaving the heating on low tonight. Trying not to think about the cost, it will be cheaper than a plumbers bill and redecoration 🙁

FleasNavidad · 15/12/2022 19:07

Still frozen here. Thank god for the fire 🔥

Findyourneutralspace · 15/12/2022 19:09

How do you know if your pipes are frozen? It’s been -8° here and I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that my kitchen sink is blocked. I’m just off to Screwfix to buy a snake because nothing is shifting it, but I’m wondering if it’s fruzz

Timeforabiscuit · 15/12/2022 19:15

My bathroom waste pipes are frozen since yesterday, managed to unfreeze through the day but as its minus 10 again tonight feels futile!

Keeping everything crossed that the fresh water pipes don't freeze tonight.

EngTech · 15/12/2022 19:22

Look in the roof space if you have a tank up there

Check the main feed into the tank and if it is exposed to a draft from outside

Check the feeds out of the tank as well, again look if the pipe is exposed to draughts etc

Think basic stuff

EngTech · 15/12/2022 19:32

Another tip to keep water from freezing, my father was a plumber 👍

Flush the loo, even if you have not used it, use shower or bath before you go to bed

Reason is that the replacement water into the tank will bit a bit warmer than what is in the roof tank, assuming you have a roof tank

Water will just get colder and colder if it remains static

Flowing water takes a bit longer to actually freeze

EngTech · 15/12/2022 19:39

Outside Taps - Wrap bubble wrap around it to stop direct exposure to the cold, breeze and if you have an isolation valve, turn it off and come warmer weather keep an eye on the internal pipe work system supplying it 👍

ifonly4 · 15/12/2022 19:52

Such a worry.

A different thing, but my DM has had her heating engineer out twice today.

The condensating pipe from the boiler has frozen up, so boiler not working. First time he put suction on it and pulled the frozen bit out, since then sun has been on that elevation but already frozen up again. Engineer has literally just left. My DM's light isn't working in the area, so not great, but he's cut through the pipe so the moisture can discharge into a bucket. There's industrial lagging on the pipe (as happened during a cold spell after just installed) so notOur sure what else can be done moving forward. DM has had a burst radiator and pipes before so then worries that'll happen as well.

Our radiator pipe in our bedroom froze a few years ago, as soon as the temperature started to lift, it was soon working, so hopefully won't be long until problems are sorted.