My pipes froze in my crawl space today.......

Torgo · January 16, 2009, 09:20:26 PM

......but thankfully I got them thawed out without any pipes bursting. I live in Roanoke, VA and it's only gotten up to 15 degrees today and it's supposed to get all the way down to zero tonight from the news is saying. yesterday it barely got out of the teens after getting down to 12 degrees the night before. The wind has also been pretty bad at times which is what I think got my pipes.

I don't think it's going to get above freezing until Monday or so.

So how cold is it where you all live?

Mr. DS · January 16, 2009, 09:31:03 PM

Freezing man. Currently its below zero with the wind chill outside and we've been hit with a decent amount of snow this year. Luckily our pipes have been freeze free this year. We have electrical tape on them and we drip the faucets at night.

Doctor Menard · January 16, 2009, 09:39:10 PM

Forget the drip, when it gets down to 0 leave a trinkle going.

This place has had heat tape on the main for over 20 years, and like 12 or so years ago a larger main pipe was put in that makes it harder to freeze. Never had the pipes freeze here; even when it got to 18 below.

Have you been able to put up some kind of wind block on that crawlspace, Torgo?

Torgo · January 16, 2009, 09:53:39 PM

Quote from: Doctor Menard on January 16, 2009, 09:39:10 PM
Have you been able to put up some kind of wind block on that crawlspace, Torgo?

Not yet, but I'm looking into it. I've been in my house for a little over 4 years now. A couple years back in February we had a cold spell where it didn't get out of the 20's for about a solid week. But I didn't have any problem whatsoever with my pipes then. That's why I think it's the wind chill that got my pipes this time.

I got a heat strip and attached it to my piping today and also used a space heater to help thaw things out. Thankfully, nothing burst (which made my wallet breathe a sigh of relief).

Captain Tars Tarkas · January 16, 2009, 10:12:16 PM

It was 75 today. I didn't wear a coat.

ghouck · January 16, 2009, 10:16:46 PM

Alaska and it's in the 40s and raining. . .

Doctor Menard · January 16, 2009, 10:42:58 PM

Quote from: Captain Tars Tarkas on January 16, 2009, 10:12:16 PM
It was 75 today. I didn't wear a coat.

Calot

Torgo · January 16, 2009, 10:49:24 PM

I just checked and the Weather Channel is saying that Roanoke, VA is getting down to 4 degrees tonight but my local weather is now saying we're getting -1 tonight. Yikes!

Jack · January 17, 2009, 08:01:22 AM

It's 15 today, supposed to get up to 23. Yesterday it was -28 in the morning. I talked to my folks in Florida last night, they were complaining it was only 69 there. I mentioned that that's about 100 degrees warmer than it was here.

RCMerchant · January 17, 2009, 08:46:58 AM

It's colder than a well diggers a$$ here in Michigan! It was -1 yesterday...and with the windchill factor...it was minus 20. MINUS 20. Criminy!

Andrew · January 17, 2009, 09:28:50 AM

I ended up with some pretty bad windburn and chapped lips from being outside a lot lately. It is cold, but the wind is what just bites into you. It was -3 the other morning once the windchill was added. I saw a crow with his foot frozen in an ice puddle. He didn't look happy.

The house has been doing fine with no frozen pipes, but we have a basement and I cut off and drained all the external lines in November. Our little ornamental pond is a block of ice. I hope that the goldfish are OK at the bottom. They should be. We bought them to control the mosquito larva population in the pond, they got big and fat fast.

CheezeFlixz · January 17, 2009, 09:47:49 AM

I thawed out the pipes on 4 houses yesterday and last night with a big ass salamander heater, I still have 2 houses that are frozen this morning and one that is busted to fix today, it was a high of 14 yesterday and -1 the night before (Thank You Al Gore) it's already warmer this morning than it's been the last three days. The phone a rung about 5 times this morning so far and I have 4 messages as I haven't answered it yet, it's going to be a wonderful day.

Nothing I like better than crawling around under a houses. Insulate your pipes, leave the water running a little if it's really going to get cold, and remember hot water freeze faster than cold water.

QuoteI hope that the goldfish are OK at the bottom. They should be. We bought them to control the mosquito larva population in the pond, they got big and fat fast.

If it's iced over long enough the ammonia will build up and kill them ... trust me on this one. Goldfish and Kio put off a lot of ammonia, bust a hole in the ice and add a aerator (air stone), or forget about it and buy new goldfish in the spring .... it really depends on the size of the pond and the number if the fish and the length of time frozen over. They're a cold water fish but not a ammonia water fish.
I run a large air stone hooked up to a air line from the shop in mine to agitate the water when really cold this helps the ammonia dissipate. In warmer weather the waterfalls do it, but they're off in the winter.

RCMerchant · January 17, 2009, 09:55:35 AM

I Reckon it's supposed to warm up come Sunday....up into the 20's. You know yer in Michigan when you can say the 20's is warm!

WilliamWeird1313 · January 17, 2009, 02:38:42 PM

You think that's bad? I had every last one of the bodies I had stuffed under MY floorboards frozen stiff. What the heck am I supposed to do with a frozen cadaver? You have any idea how long it takes for a human corpse to thaw? I just hope the dang things don't get freezer burn, thus ruining all the dinner parties I have planned.

ghouck · January 17, 2009, 02:53:04 PM

Quote from: WilliamWeird1313 on January 17, 2009, 02:38:42 PM

You think that's bad? I had every last one of the bodies I had stuffed under MY floorboards frozen stiff. What the heck am I supposed to do with a frozen cadaver? You have any idea how long it takes for a human corpse to thaw? I just hope the dang things don't get freezer burn, thus ruining all the dinner parties I have planned.

There's a guy that works for me that knows what to do with them: The first step is to put a light bulb up inside the naughty parts to keep it warm.