Frozen Pipe - no water

Catbells

My friend came round to diagnose what the problem is as I'm not getting any water from the mains supply in the kitchen cold water tap. He said he thinks the problem lies in the pipe before it reaches the house - ie frozen underground. Havent been in the house long but it was ok last year when we had the freeze so dont know what to do. I'm not using any water upto a point - toilet particularly. He said there'd be enough water in the tank to give a shower but no more. Any suggestions please?

Tr1pp

if you are sure your internal plumbing is not to blame and it sounds like its not as you get water from the taps attached to the water tank, then all you can do is call whoever it is who supplies your water and get them to pay you a visit.

not sure how quickly they will respond as id imagine they have a lot of call outs in this cold weather but if you let them know you have no running water in house they should be pretty prompt

27col

It would have to be pretty damn cold before a water pipe buried to the correct depth would freeze. If you have suspended floors it is likely that the frozen pipe (if it really is that) is to be found as the pipe enters the unheated void under the floor. If this is the case, then make sure that this length of the pipe is insulated as well as any other sections of pipe, such as pipes in the roof, would be. If you have solid floors then I can't think what the cause could be.

tigeress289

Afraid its a sit and wait for it to thaw. There is no magic cure, just be careful to make sure, all your taps are off as you may be out when it comes back through. To be honest this year has to be one of the coldest ground frosts I have seen. I have had more call outs this year on properties I have looked after for years, but never had frozen pipes till this one.

Catbells

Tr1pp wrote: »

if you are sure your internal plumbing is not to blame and it sounds like its not as you get water from the taps attached to the water tank, then all you can do is call whoever it is who supplies your water and get them to pay you a visit.

not sure how quickly they will respond as id imagine they have a lot of call outs in this cold weather but if you let them know you have no running water in house they should be pretty prompt

I called my water supplier and they said via a recorded message they don't come out for frozen pipes. They gave instructions what to do - put hot water bottles or hairdryers on the pipes and it would take a few hours. Problem is there are no visible pipes to warm up so I think tigeress289 suggestion of waiting until the thaw comes is the only thing I can do.

27col

It would have to be pretty damn cold before a water pipe buried to the correct depth would freeze.

Thats what my friend said. All the pipes are under a paved footpath and patio and maybe also the conservatory. Called the previous occupants and they said they hadn't experienced this during their occupancy. It all seems really puzzling.

So far all I have done is.... nothing. I will check my house insurance to see if I am covered for external water pipes and just wait til the thaw comes. Thanks.

G_M

If the problem is in the supply pipe between the stopcock in the street, and stopcock in your kitchen, this is your pipe - not the water company's.

Make sure you know where the street stopcock is, and make sure it is accessible, and the SC turns - that way if when the thaw comes there is a leak, you can turn it off. But check it is unique to your house - sometimes a street SC will supply pipes to 2 or 3 adjacent house.

Underground leaks are unusual - but can be expensive. Check your insurance. Locating a frozen pipe that is not (yet!) leaking is hard, but early detection when it thaws is important....

Catbells

G_M wrote: »

If the problem is in the supply pipe between the stopcock in the street, and stopcock in your kitchen, this is your pipe - not the water company's.

Make sure you know where the street stopcock is, and make sure it is accessible, and the SC turns - that way if when the thaw comes there is a leak, you can turn it off. But check it is unique to your house - sometimes a street SC will supply pipes to 2 or 3 adjacent house.

Underground leaks are unusual - but can be expensive. Check your insurance. Locating a frozen pipe that is not (yet!) leaking is hard, but early detection when it thaws is important....

Thanks. I will check my insurance. There is a stopcock right outside our house on the street for our house only. The next door neighbours have their own and they dont have a problem. I gather that if pipes aren't laid deep enough they can freeze. The previous occupants had an extension built but they had no problems with frozen pipes when they lived here. Is the ground frost worse this year than in the past 15 years I wonder.

If it is frozen underground and the pipes havent burst then all should be well (hopeful). If they have burst will the water pressure go down and is this the only way I can tell if its burst? Upto now I have not had the street SC turned off. Neither have I turned off the SC under the sink. Is this the right thing to do?

ormus

its very rare for underground pipes to freeze in the uk.
pipes would have to be very near the surface to freeze.

Radsteral

2 days now my hot water pipe wont bring any water at all on kitchen it does come after midday though;)

in a rush last year i refurbished kitchen and no insulation for pipes at all...and my kitchen doesnt have no radiator or any think..very cold

just bought a tall radiator so hopefully when i install this monday there wont be no more problems
ps. as above if you stopcock is on the road, then from there to your house is your responibility .

Mankysteve

ormus wrote: »

its very rare for underground pipes to freeze in the uk.
pipes would have to be very near the surface to freeze.

Indeed in fact I'd put money on it. Also dont go messing with te outside !!!! stop. Unless absolutely necessary if it snaps while your turning it you'll have to pay.

G_M

Mankysteve wrote: »

Indeed in fact I'd put money on it. Also dont go messing with te outside !!!! stop. Unless absolutely necessary if it snaps while your turning it you'll have to pay.

Personally I would check the outside SC.

Lift the cover and inspect visually:
1) is it accessible, or covered in soil/debris? - Clear the cr*p!
2) is it a modern plastic tap, or an old fashioned 'Nut-shaped one needing a long tool to clip over it?
3) do you have a water meter? if so the SC is likely to be 1) above

If the old style, do you have the tool (you can buy them, or even use a length of wood with a V cut into the bottom and a T cross bar at the top for leverage)

If modern, chances are high it will turn easily by hand (a quarter turn usually turns it off, but some are like a tap and need several turns). If old, try gentle easing it, but stop if it seems stiff/refuses to budge.

Here's a useful video by Thames Water on the subject.