Ceci n’est pas une pipe utilisable
All the interior water lines survived the Great Freeze. The ones out in the garage, serving the laundry gear, didn’t do so well.
And this disturbs me greatly, not so much because I have two loads of wash to do, but because these lines are nicely wrapped and buried inside a layer or two of insulation, which in turn is covered by a sheet of plywood. Add to this the fact that the garage seldom drops as low as 25° F on the coldest days. Then again, a string of four “coldest” days in a row (lows below 10°) is extremely rare.
I can’t very well leave the washing machine running — the pump therein will commit suicide if it doesn’t get some timely H2O — so I’m playing a waiting game while the temperatures finally climb above freezing. I really don’t see what choice I have, as pointing a heat source at a 13-year-old piece of plywood is a really good way to start a fire. Maybe by Wednesday things will be back to normal.
fillyjonk »
10 January 2010 · 1:51 pm
Wow, good luck. I consider myself very fortunate to not have a frozen kitchen sink line – it’s in the most exposed, least insulated part of the house, but luckily it was OK.
Not so sure about the outside spigots, but I don’t exactly need them right now. (And they have covers over them anyway.)
CGHill »
10 January 2010 · 3:37 pm
For “Wednesday,” read “3:30 Sunday afternoon.” I went out to the garage to fetch the stepladder — light over the kitchen sink was down to 50% — and for the hell of it, I pulled the Start knob on the washer.
A trickle, then a little more, and finally full flow.
I don’t see any water on the floor, so maybe this bullet too has been dodged.
(Garage temperature: 46 degrees.)
Dick Stanley »
11 January 2010 · 9:35 am
Hey, good for you. The worst of it may be over now, but if these folks are right, we’re just getting started:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1242011/DAVID-ROSE-The-mini-ice-age-starts-here.html
Jennifer »
11 January 2010 · 2:38 pm
Good luck with the plumbing issues. We’ve had 4 slab leaks in this house, but thankfully, no frozen pipes.
If you pull the washer away from the wall, there should be a faucet thingie (technical term). If you disconnect the washer, you could turn that to a trickle.
CGHill »
11 January 2010 · 3:14 pm
The actual faucet is about all that’s visible, in fact.
After two successful loads of wash, I think we’ve beaten it. This time, anyway.