Frozen Pipes??

[AndrewSchofield]

Is it feasible that my bathroom waste pipes have frozen? They were running fine on Saturday but Sunday morning there's no water going down them at all? I would think it was just blocked if it was the kitchen, but nothing goes down the bathroom wastes other than water? It hasn't been above minus 3 at all at our house since last thursday lunchtime and not above minus 5 since Friday, Saturday and last night it was minus 14. I can only assume the pipe has frozen solid?

If this is a possibility - anyone got any suggestions how i can de-frost it? The freezing temperatures are forecast to change for the rest of the week and it'll be a smelly Christmas day if we can't have a shower between now and then!!

 

[morlomanc]

do the waste pipes run internally or externally?

 

[45yearsagasman]

Internal pipes can be defrosted using a hairdryer and external pipes with warm, not boiling water.Insulate where possible.

 

[cumbriahandyman]

You would be surprised at what gets down that plug hole, especially if you have girls with long hair. Given the weather though, it does sound like a frozen pipe. You will need plenty of hot water poured slowly over the pipe where it exits the property.

Good luck.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Thanks guys - I always thought that running water doesn't freeze so wasn't sure if its possible for the waste pipe to freeze up - because there's no standing water in them? (or at least shouldn't be).

The missus has short hair and our little 2yr old's hair isn't that long yet!! I know what you mean though - my sister had long hair and her hair used to get everywhere all the time!!

The pipes run from the traps from the bath and basin seperately straight out through the wall - they then join each other outside before running into our SVP.

Will try with the warm water - not easy to get to the pipes as they come out of the wall above the conservatory.

Any way i can stop them freezing up again? Can i insulate/lag them externally - and if so, what kind of insulation do i use?

 

[Nige F]

they`ll be frozen in the old days they tied old sacks over them- but that was 1963 and ours were accesible . Fix a hairdryer on a pole -extension lead and safety cutout plug ( like for lawnmowers) job`s a good un

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Well they were definately frozen up!! Ended up having to take all the external pipework off and thaw it out in the kitchen sink - roughly 2m of 32mm dia pipe all frozen solid. The pipe going into the wall was frozen solid approximately 300mm into the wall - i had to break through that with a long screwdriver!!

Will it help to run v.hot water down the plugs before we go to bed each night , or first thing in the morning - just to melt any ice that may have formed in the pipe? Or will that hot water just go cold and feeze in the pipe too? I see the weather forecast isn't offering any temperatures above minus 3 at any time until at least Sunday, and even then only upto minus 1!!

 

[Corgigrouch]

Make sure that the taps don't drip and that the pipework runs down hill... You'd be amazed at how many waste pipes have been left running uphill for years..

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Make sure that the taps don't drip and that the pipework runs down hill... You'd be amazed at how many waste pipes have been left running uphill for years..

On taking the pipes off last night i think the problem is where the pipe runs into the SVP - here it drops vertically about 6inches and then turns 90deg to run horizontally for about 3inches into the boss on the SVP. I assume water sits in this horizontal bit and freezes and then once the pipe is blocked and fills up with water the whole thing froze up - if it happens again i'll get it cleared as soon as we realise its blocked - that way hopefully preventing so much freezing up.

Can i alter the pipe so it doesn't run horiztonally here - or does it have to run horizontally to seal properly in the boss?

 

[Burnerman]

I'm pouring dishwasher salt into our traps at the moment, so that any dripping or seepage is of brine - which has a much lower freezing point than watter.
John