Frozen pipes

[Steve S]

So once again the temps are down to - digits and my pipes are frozen but they thaw out before 2pm which is fine with me.
So here's my thinking and my question. Is it worth thawing out your pipes with a heat gun that can actually do more damage down the road as the pipes can get deformed and weakened from the direct heat?
How many people that live with this actually just wait till it thaws out by itself?
This'll be my third yr of just letting things thaw naturally and I have not had any problems yr round.
I just be be prepared and have water in the holding tank and I keep a few bottles of water in the fridge.

[hankaye]

Steve S. Howdy;

Do all your water lines run inside the trailer ? If so have you allowed the
warmer cabin air to be able to get to the lines ?
When I was in Central Ut. I was in a TT and that's how I kept the water
flowing. Open the cabinet doors so the warm air can get in there easier.

Stay warm, dry and safe

hankaye

[Murphsmom]

If you do need heat on the pipes, a hair dryer is much safer than using a heat gun. You can vary the heat on most of them.

[Pull Toy]

I'm with Murphy's Mom! (figuratively...)

To much high heat and combustibles are a "No-No" in my book. Slow and easy with a hair dryer, then find a better solution. Maybe heat tape or better insulation, or as mentioned, leave cabinet door open.

I definitely would find a better solution, as continuous re-freezes, and defrosts will have a long term, and possibly catastrophic effect.

Good Luck!

[Steve S]

Originally Posted by hankaye

Steve S. Howdy;

Do all your water lines run inside the trailer ? If so have you allowed the
warmer cabin air to be able to get to the lines ?
When I was in Central Ut. I was in a TT and that's how I kept the water
flowing. Open the cabinet doors so the warm air can get in there easier.

Stay warm, dry and safe

hankaye

Hi Hankaye, it's mainly the hot water that freezes and that line snakes its way under the sink and then to the bathroom. Keeping the doors open under the sink helps big time as the water heater is located beside it.
I was picking up parts for a job today from the plumbing place and they said that what I'm doing is the best thing as heat against frozen pipes may get the water flowing but it can actually weaken the pipes and cause problems down the road which makes sense.
And of course the weather changed from cold to warm and rainy so I guess that's for the best

[bsmith0404]

Have you considered adding a little insulation to the water lines. Something such as what is in the link below would help keep them from freezing. It's not a lot of R value, but may be just enough to retain enough heat in the lines to prevent freezing.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pratt-Ret...46PE/204759152

[mikell]

Last year mine froze under the fridge / shower area. So I found an area that opens to it and put a permanent fan in there to force warm air from the bedroom under the shower. No problems since.

[Steve S]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Have you considered adding a little insulation to the water lines. Something such as what is in the link below would help keep them from freezing. It's not a lot of R value, but may be just enough to retain enough heat in the lines to prevent freezing.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pratt-Ret...46PE/204759152

I already have all the pipes wrapped in these and the outside one is the first to freeze. It's not really the end of the world as the water tank is my backup.

[hankaye]

Steve S. Howdy;

When I lived in Central Utah, I never had the pipe insulation on my pipes.
Kinda figured it might be counter-productive as in not allowing the warm
interior air to get to the pipes. Wherever I could I would keep the cabinet
doors open and even removed the access panel where I could get to the
tub/shower's fittings and pipes. All to allow the heated cabin air to get at
the pipes. The only one that I couldn't get to was the one that went under
the floor to the commode. In that area I had a ceramic heater and some
foam insulation boards to keep the area confined. Had the thermostat on
the little heater set on medium. Another thing that helped was the water
pipes ran along the side of the TT that was in the sunlight during the day.
Physical orientation is a big deal when it comes to Winter survival.
This is what I did and is just my opinion and a suggestion.

hankaye