Frozen Pipe?

My tenants have no cold water in a bathroom which is at the back of an addition on the garden level. I’m assuming this is a frozen pipe issue due to the last few days of weather (other ideas?). Next week will get back above freezing for a day or so. Should they wait it out and then let the water drip through other cold snaps? Any precautions I should take? This is early in my brownstone owning so any advice would be welcome. Thanks.

quincystreet

in Plumbing 10 years and 10 months ago

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quincypants | 9 years and 9 months ago

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My tenants have either no water at all or very little pressure on the top two floors. We’re fairly new to owning an older house like this and am wondering what a “chase” is? Someone also mentioned that water could be freezing as it comes into the house under the stoop. Does anyone have any experience with that? Thanks

Arkady | 10 years and 10 months ago

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If the pipe is exposed you can just aim a work light w/ a 40 W. incandescent at it.

quincystreet | 10 years and 10 months ago

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Thanks everyone. The water came back and we haven’t detected any leaks. In the meantime I discussed with a plumber and he suggested heat-tracing the cold water pipe in the extension area which I’m inclined to do considering it seems to be the most straight forward fix and it’s only the beginning of winter.

bobjbkln | 10 years and 10 months ago

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Opening the highest faucet only works if there are no exposed connections coming off the verticals. One of our four toilets (2 family house) always freezes unless I cause it to drip by slightly lifting up the flapper. This despite the fact that I had insulation blown into the chase and have the chase exposed to the bathroom (via an access panel which I open when it it cold).

daveinbedstuy | 10 years and 10 months ago

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Allowing the water to run out of the tap at the topmost fixture of a vertical supply pipe will usually prevent freezing. What you really need to do is open up that chase that’s on an outer wall to allow warm air in. I had to do this once in Philadelphia many years ago and simply put a heat register cover over the opening which allowed warm air from the living space to warm that chase. No morte freezing.

bobjbkln | 10 years and 10 months ago

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I’ve had lots of frozen pipes in the 25 years we’ve owned the house and luckily they have never resulted in a broken pipe. Letting the water drip is a good idea, but not that you have to figure out how to handle your toilet. You need to get the flapper to leak a little so that the water in the tank will go down, triggering the refill valve to allow a little water to flow every 5 or ten minutes.

greenmountain | 10 years and 10 months ago

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Freezing water expands and breaks pipes. Find the valve which can stop water flowing to the frozen section and turn it off. Some people are delighted to be available when, after a cold snap, the flooding starts. With all the recently flipped houses, this is going to be a good winter for them.