Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Plumbing => Topic started by: allis48 on January 30, 2014, 08:25:12 PM

Title: Frozen line
Post by: allis48 on January 30, 2014, 08:25:12 PM

I am looking for an idea on how to fall out the frozen water supply line that is underground?

Title: Re: Frozen line
Post by: wissel12 on January 30, 2014, 08:30:25 PM

What is the water line made of.

Title: Re: Frozen line
Post by: Sprinter on January 30, 2014, 09:07:59 PM

I use a radiant mat covered by heat/earth blankets, fire up the boiler and thaw away.

But for something small, I've used isopropyl , a strong acid and then flushed very well, just like when we clean a well point or screen, heat tape, the good stuff not depot special.  I have also used steam by torch and compressor. Lots of pipe thawing and repairs last 3 weeks here. How much is frozen, is it boiler pex or yard hydrant.

Title: Re: Frozen line
Post by: allis48 on January 31, 2014, 04:09:45 AM

it runs water from house to the building, the building is heated but I think it froze either where it leaves the house or more than likely where it enters the building. Suppose to warm up tomorrow so hopefully I can get it thawed
It is plastic water line

Title: Re: Frozen line
Post by: ITO on January 31, 2014, 05:24:38 AM

 I had a plastic water line that froze in a rental years ago and I flushed the line with hot water from my water heater by putting a garden hose inside the 1" pipe that was froze, I put the garden hose down the pipe until I felt the block (ice) then turned on the hot water and let it run for quite a while, removed the garden hose and when I turned on the house pressure it blew the chunk of ice out of the 1" line. I probably got lucky and maybe this won't work for you but it worked for me once and it didn't cost me anything (but time) and saved a lot of headache.
 Can see where there will be lots of frozen pipes this year. Good luck.

Title: Re: Frozen line
Post by: slimjim on January 31, 2014, 06:08:07 AM

Ito has the best solution if yo can disconnect the water line!

Title: Re: Frozen line
Post by: allis48 on January 31, 2014, 02:13:54 PM

I got it this morning!! I put the space heater on hydrant, got it good an warm then blew compressed air back threw it a couple of time ;)

Title: Re: Frozen line
Post by: Sprinter on February 01, 2014, 10:06:51 AM

Nice, you said it was a hydrant, as in yard hydrant. Sometimes the weep hole where it's supposed to drain gets plugged. At the farm I just pull the head and pressurize the riser and it will blow out the weep, you have to have shaft in down position to open the weep valve.

Title: Re: Frozen line
Post by: allis48 on February 01, 2014, 06:24:55 PM

Yes yard hydrant. I put that in before building was heated, since it has been heated I never turn it off so the seal wouldn't go bad since the genius cemented around it. But the -24 below froze it up .