Frozen Pipes?

[lora901]

HELP! I awoke on Thursday 23 December and had no water. My heating has not been off since beginning of December and can't understand why.

I have had someone check under my floorboards and no frozen pipes can be located. The empty house over the path from our house had burst pipes and I'm wondering if this could have frozen up around my pipes under the ground, the owner came around and repaired them and turned his water and heating off!!!
I have had no joy with Scottish Water and been told they will get to me. There is virtually no snow or ice in my front or back garden and am at a loss what to do next.

I've tried having a blow heater under my sink in the hope that the heat will radiate down the pipe and heat the pipes up but this is having no effect. I'm at my wits end with 2 kids and running to neighbours for water is beginning to annoy them!

Thanks for any comments and suggestions.

 

[Burnerman]

Just wondering if your house could share a stopcock with the one that has been turned off....

Could you call the owner of the property and ask if he'd be kind enough to turn the stopcock back on - if only to rule this out?

John

 

[lora901]

Hi John, this did cross my mind but apparently it would be very unusual if we had the same stopcock. I'm hoping Scottish Water will be able to advise once they come out (hopefully very soon!) if not then I will have to contact the letting agency and ask them to contact him. I keep coming back to the housen next door and although it's been dreadful coping without the water at least if it was that it'd be solved. I'll keep you updated. Thanks for your time and reply!

 

[Burnerman]

Unusual perhaps but certainly unknown.....the temperature has been above freezing for long enough now - I think - so either there is a burst somewhere or you have been cut off.
Either way, I hope you get it sorted real soon - it sounds a desperate situation!
John

 

[tamz]

It is common for houses especially ex council, to have a shared supply so if it has been turned off in the street that is your problem.

 

[lora901]

Hi it is not an ex council house but thanks anyway

 

[damia-b]

Firstly, I hope you have got the problem solved. It seems possible that the supply was frozen underground. It has been terribly cold for over a month now. In Renfrewshire, there were only about four days on which the temperature rose above zero between November 29th and December 27th. In my shed, even neat antifreeze in a plastic container had ice crystals in it. And I believe it has been even colder in Perthshire.

The thaw started here on the 27th but there were two further days of below-zero temperatures. On the 2nd January. I found that the ground was frozen to a depth of at least 450 mm. Any water pipe at less than 600mm below the surface. I think would be at risk. The ground has softened at the surface today, but is still frozen below.

This is not to rule out the possibility that either both houses are fed via the same stopcock or that your stopcock has been turned off bu someone trying to find their own. That happens!

By the way, I am NOT a plumber, just a fellow sufferer.