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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

No water

21 replies

Olivia93 · 01/03/2018 13:35

Is anyone one else left without water because of the snow? I have no water working in the house but the boiler is work. What should i do please?

OP posts:
SilverHairedCat · 01/03/2018 13:39

So your pipes have frozen? Or has the water gone off further up the supply line?

Shoxfordian · 01/03/2018 13:40

Do you rent? Get in touch with your landlord
If not check with your local water company

Lazypuppy · 01/03/2018 13:41

Until you can get problem fixed, walk/drive to shops and buy bottled water

Gizlotsmum · 01/03/2018 13:42

Check if your neighbours have water. Can you see the pipes in your house? Try decorating them with a hairdryer.

Olivia93 · 01/03/2018 13:42

Am not sure i just woke up with no water everywhere in the house , im in a housing association ... thank you i will call them

OP posts:
Olivia93 · 01/03/2018 13:44

I knock at the neighbors she didnt answer the door but i ask another friend who live in the next road , she say her water is fine .....please when you mean pipes is it the one under the kitchen?

OP posts:
John4703 · 01/03/2018 13:44

Sometimes the underground supply pipe will freeze, other times it is the pipes inside the house. It is good your boiler is working and all boilers have various safety devices so it will be fine and keep you warm.

If it is a pipe outside your property that is frozen that the water supplier is responsible but in practical terms they can do little in this weather.
When water freezes it expands and that is what can burst a pipe, it is when the ice thaws out that you become aware of the burst. If you can turn off the main stop tap (often under the kitchen sink) that means there will be less water in the house to do damage when the pipes thaw out, it also means you will not know when the water is back on so you need to keep trying it.
In the 1980s I worked as a plumber, I'm pleased that I'm retired now

Backingvocals · 01/03/2018 13:54

we have no water either. I think the pipes in the street are frozen. Nothing Thames Water can do for now. We are waiting it out.

Lulusmother · 01/03/2018 13:59

You can warm the pipes inside with a hairdryer, they'll probably be frozen, unless there's a burst main in your area due to the conditions. Look at your local water company as it should show areas affected if there is a burst.

Olivia93 · 01/03/2018 18:05

Thank you everyone , i call my water company who told me that my area is not affected and theres nothing much they can and it might be frozen water pipe. i tried blow dryer and heater under my kitchen sink still no water ... dont know what to do right now

OP posts:
frankchickens · 01/03/2018 18:21

Try decorating them with a hairdryer.

Got to love autocorrect.

ScreamingValenta · 01/03/2018 18:26

No advice myself, but there is a brilliant poster called @PigletJohn who is an expert on plumbing - if he is online and has time perhaps he might be able to suggest something?

MrsJayy · 01/03/2018 18:26

Does your housing association have a 24hr emergency number? Phone them they might send a plumber out

AdaColeman · 01/03/2018 18:33

If you have access to your loft, there may be a water tank up there that has a frozen pipe.

Open up the loft hatch so that warm air can get in there from the house. If you have a heater put it somewhere safe and stable where it will warm the air below the hatch to the loft.

DO NOT balance heaters/ fires on furniture to get them nearer the loft hatch.

Turn off the water at the mains, but leave the tap open so when the water thaws it can run away.

chewybacca · 01/03/2018 18:34

I have the same problem!
No water at all. And now no heat either.
I'm guessing (as next door have water) that the pipe to the main has frozen outside the house.
Got a plumber coming tomorrow.
I hope I'm wrong because until it warms up outside I don't think there is much that can be done.
Get some bottled water in. I'm melting buckets of snow for the loo!
Good luck.

LondonHereICome · 01/03/2018 18:47

It's not the snows fault!

It's the freezing temperatures

PigletJohn · 01/03/2018 21:02

In the UK it is most unlikely that an underground pipe will freeze because (1) the air temperature is only a few degrees below freezing and (2) pipes are required to be buried deep enough that they are unlikely to freeze.

It's more likely that you have a pipe above ground level and exposed to a cold draught. Perhaps it is under the floor next to an airbrick or behind a kitchen unit, or in an unheated garage.

If you have a loft tank, the tank will not have frozen but one of the pipes attached to it may. You would be well advised to turn off your main stopcock and turn on the taps, so that in the event of a thaw any supply pipes will not be under pressure and any melting ice can escape.

It's more common for a compression joint to be forced apart by expansion that for a pipe to burst.

If your boiler is in an unheated space, such as a loft or shed, freezing could be expensive, so it is best to have a frost stat that will keep the boiler circulating warm water when it nears freezing point.

Don't try to thaw pipes with a blowlamp or similar. A hair dryer is very suitable and won't burn your house down.

When you have discovered the frozen pipes, measure their diameter (probably 22mm or 15mm) and buy some pipe lagging. The "bylaw" grade is best and very thick. Where it won't fit, economy grade is better than nothing. It is made of stiff plastic foam and you can cut and shape it with a serrated knife. Seal all joints with the tape. It does not absorb water so maintains its insulation, unlike wet fibreglass or old hessian. Don't use the felt, it is only useful to cushion clicking or squeaking pipes.

Insulation slows heat loss, but does not prevent it. You can get "pipe heaters" which are very economical in electricity, and do not get hot enough to start a fire. A fan heater in a dusty loft might.

To cheer you up, here are some pics resulting from a burst loft pipe while the house was unoccupied over the weekend.

No water
No water
No water
SciFiLover · 01/03/2018 21:04

The national grid said they didn't have enough gas to cover the sudden increase due to the snow!

SciFiLover · 01/03/2018 21:05

But I'm sure that's scaremongering and it's probably frozen pipes 🙈

We have the same issue and now as a bonus - the bath water is flowing back up into our (separate) shower and flooding our bathroom!

PigletJohn · 01/03/2018 21:10

(my pics are from 2010 so no messages of sympathy are required)

ScreamingValenta · 01/03/2018 21:14

I knew PigletJohn would have the answer!

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