This is a view from my listing on Canyon Ln when I checked on it Monday. Everything checked out fine but I overheard something last night that I hadn’t thought of at the time. You may not know you have a broken pipe until the pipe thaws. So as today warms up a little bit in some areas you may want to double check.
UPDATE: Right after I wrote this post this was found at Allison’s house –
If you look to the right of the left handle you will see where it is disconnected. At first we thought it was sheared off, which in retrospect doesn’t make sense, but the ice actually pushed the pipe off the connector. If this hadn’t of been found by the time it thawed, the garage would have filled with water for a long time before it would have been noticed. As you can see from the icicle she left the water dripping but if it was cold enough that it created this huge icicle then the water wasn’t dripping fast enough. Also she should have run water through the pipes in the morning and night to flush them out.
Working with old 1950’s pipes wasn’t the most fun either but it was surreal to see this open pipe clogged with ice though it was dripping ever so slightly that left me concerned it would just flush at anytime. Check your water sources to make sure they flow. If not figure it out before it thaws and causes damage.
I talked to a friend who owns and manages apartments and he said that it was very true. The biggest problems show up afterwards usually. Another friend of mine had a leaking from under his house but was having trouble locating the source. The burst pipe happened while he was out and his neighbor called the water company to shut it off. He finally found the problem to be a sprinkler line that was too close to the surface and it burst.
Lots of areas to think about and a good reminder to know where your water shut off is located. Here are more tips from amwater.com.
Before cold weather sets in:
Know what areas of your home, such as basements, crawl spaces, unheated rooms and outside walls, are most vulnerable to freezing.
Eliminate sources of cold air near water lines by repairing broken windows, insulating walls, closing off crawl spaces and eliminating drafts near doors.
Know where your main water shut-off valve is. If a pipe freezes or bursts, shut the water off immediately.
Protect your pipes and water meter. Wrap exposed pipes with insulation or use electrical heat tracing wire; newspaper or fabric may also work. For outside meters, keep the lid to the meter pit closed tightly and let any snow that falls cover it. Snow acts as insulation, so don’t disturb it.
When temperatures fall below zero:
If you have pipes that are vulnerable to freezing, allow a small trickle of water to run overnight to keep pipes from freezing. The cost of the extra water is low compared to the cost to repair a broken pipe.
Open cabinet doors to expose pipes to warmer room temperatures to help keep them from freezing.
If your pipes freeze:
Shut off the water immediately. Don’t attempt to thaw frozen pipes unless the water is shut off. Freezing can often cause unseen cracks in pipes or joints.
Apply heat to the frozen pipe by warming the air around it, or by applying heat directly to a pipe. You can use a hair dryer, space heater, or hot water. Be sure not to leave space heaters unattended, and avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open flames.
Once the pipes have thawed, turn the water back on slowly and check for cracks and leaks.
When you are away:
Have a friend, relative or neighbor regularly check your property to insure the heat is working and the pipes have not frozen.
Also, a freeze alarm can be purchased for less than $100 and will call a user-selected phone number if the inside temperature drops below 45 degrees.
