Frozen Pipes Again
Last year it was the pipes in the master bath on the top floor. Now the water pipes to the kitchen sink and dishwasher froze up after a string of days with below 0 degree F temperatures.
Placed over the tuck-under garage, the kitchen is always the coldest room on the main floor this time of year. The west wall, which contains the water pipes, also feels terribly insulated– if it is insulated at all. Most of the cabinets are on this wall, too, and it feels like opening the refrigerator just pulling out the bread drawer.
So it wasn’t really a surprise that the water pipes in the kitchen froze last night, though it was the first time this has happened in four winters. We thawed the pipes by having Ms. Bungalow pour hot water down the drain while I warmed the supply pipes with a heat gun from below in the garage.
Although this episode was good for a brief scare, I’m currently just feeling grateful to have avoided the much greater troubles of burst or inaccessible pipes.
Tomorrow’s forecast: temperatures climbing into the teens above zero and trace snow, with only a 2% chance I’ll need a heat gun to do the breakfast dishes.
4 Responses to “Frozen Pipes Again”
It might be worth adding some heat tape to the pipes in the kitchen area until the insulation can be improved. You can plug the tape in when the weather forecast will likely cause problems and save yourself some work later. I am considering the same option for our pipes from the tub in our bathroom over our garage.
@Mike/Dad: I’ll have to check that out. Thanks!
Ugh, that’s such a bummer! I can relate – the waste line under my first floor shower is frozen at this very moment. I would have taken a hair-dryer to it, but there are a bunch of car tires stacked in front (in the basement) so whatever… thank goodness for multiple bathrooms I guess.
Sorry your shower is frozen, Ranty. You’re so right about the goodness of multiple bathrooms.
And thanks for all your work advocating for the preservation of the Pauline Fjelde House.