Frozen pipes. No water in tanks in attic.

dee1 · **Posted: 09-01-2010 , 10:38 PM** #1

Ok guys i need advice here please.I have main supply coming in but have no cut off valve,ie tap,dont know why renting off council,anytime there is a plumbing prob for past 11 yrs,they connect a garden hose to copper cylinder and down the stairs into garden to drain supply....just discovered after baths last night no taps connected to attic supply working...so I went to attic to investigate and found large tank dry small one with ball cock begining to freeze....I know the possibilities of pipes bursting or leaking with the thaw but could there be any chance does anyone know that if i was to wrap the pipes up there with old clothes etc,would it help prevent the leak or is it too late,I've rang a few plumbers for advice but all they will tell me is wait to see what happens when the thaw comes.......Also I have an open fireplace with back boiler,I know i cant heat the rads with a big fire if there is no electricity but can i with my water situation,i know theres water in the boiler that circulates to the rads but after that im at a loss.....

PLEASE can anyone Advise.....

thanks in advance to anyone who reads this and can advise me on what to do.I rang the council hotline but have to wait in turn till mon.....

denkarma · **Posted: 09-01-2010 , 11:26 PM** #2

Not 100% sure but any time we had no water coming into the house we never used the back-boiler because I had heard that it could be dangerous. The pipes in the attic should be lagged (covered) with a foam insulation that you can get in any diy store. It wont help unfreeze the water but it will help when the water is back on.If your attic is insulated make sure that the insulation does not go under the water tank in the attic as this could cause the tank to freeze. You should insulate around the outside of the tank and on top , the heat coming from the room below through the un insulated section under the tank will keep it from freezing. Hope this helps. I am not a plumber but it is the way I heard it should be done . so I used this method and never had any problems with frozen pipes.
Good Luck
Denis

lolo1 · **Posted: 10-01-2010 , 02:17 AM** #3

Hi Dee we are on mains here to and if have no water in the tanks in the attic you cannot hear you rads or use oil central heating as your cylinder in the hot press can blow up at least thats what we were told but if you have a light in your attic leave it on as the heat from the bulb can sometimes be enough to stop the pipes freezing and yes it would be great to wrap clothes towels duvet blankets old coats etc around the tanks and the pipes it will all help Do the council not have an emergency after hours number you can call but either way dont rip the head off them even though you may feel like it when you are talking to them as it will only make things harder for yourself in the long run i have found that out the hard way when i was living in council property. Hope this helps a little also dont have too big a fire in the open fire as this can lead to more dammage in the pipes and the back boiler itself Kindest Regards and best of luck Lolo

sligoames · **Posted: 10-01-2010 , 10:41 PM** #4

i have the same exact problem here too, my pipes and tank are all lagged but this did not prevent anything from freezing, what i have done is rigged up a infa red lamp above the copper pipes and a regular lamp with 100 watt bulb close enough to the pipes (about two feet) and left them on constantly, we now have the toilet back working and the mains water is slowly seeping back into the house, our outside tap is cracked and leaked a lot but now it is one giant ice waterfall, so gotta sort that out as soon as thaw happens.

just be careful with the lamps make sure you dont have them too close to pipes as this can cause damage too. took about a day to get to dribble status

dee1 · **Posted: 11-01-2010 , 12:09 AM** #5

First off I want to thank everyone for their assistance,it was reall nice of you all...

Ok,well by the grace of the Gods, for no apparent reason while i was cleaning the bathroom this afternoon, hit a pipe with the mop next thing the toilet cistern started to fill,so up with me to the attic and low and behold there was the large tank filling up,I was like a child on Christmas morning with excitment, and yes I have to admit tears of joy,see I'm easily pleased, anyway tonight the plummer out our way who heard the story through that ever famous grapevine rang, told him the story and he said he would call within a half hour,which he did.You know what had happened, the cock stop had jammed hence the reason for the dry tank, so he said, he reckons the vibration from the bang jolted the stopcock,He also said that it is often the stopcock that can cause other probs like overflowing etc...

Anyway so long as it wasn't anything like burst pipes I'm not complaining and he is going to call tomorrow to lag my pipes and see about supplying me with a shut off system under the sink,and to put my mind at ease because when they layed new paths in our area they covered over the external cut off valves,he showed my which taps to shut down my internal water supply if I needed to, not that I plan to.So I<m one happy woman tonight and againg would thank all thoes who replied with words of advice and offers of help.

Bright Blessings to you and yours.....dee1.

lolo1 · **Posted: 11-01-2010 , 01:12 AM** #6

Hi Dee Im realy delighted for you that everything worked out ok when your plumber friend comes back ask him about the heating as i was told today that you can have your heating on if its oil when there is no water coming into your house as there is a small usually red sealed tank in either the attic or the hot press which is sealed and full of water and this tank is where the water for the radiatiors come from and this tank can never run out of water unless you break the seal and empty it urself, Hope this helps a little for the future kindest regards Lolo

Trevalhean · **Posted: 11-01-2010 , 07:14 PM** #7

I have attached a link to Wicklow County Council's website on frozen pipes and how to deal with them. Hope this helps you

http://www.wicklow.ie/apps/wicklowbe...BigFreeze.aspx

sligoames · **Posted: 11-01-2010 , 10:05 PM** #8

disgusted that you had an easy fix, im still waterless and had plumber out and my mains into the house is burst and has cracked the outside of my wall, so when it thaws my house will flood, so im bring back the sandbags, and if it still freezes later on in the week ill have an ice skating rink in my house, oh yeah, so sick of this weather.

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	Posted: 09-01-2010 , 10:38 PM #1
dee1 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: co. clare Posts: 524	Frozen pipes. No water in tanks in attic. Ok guys i need advice here please.I have main supply coming in but have no cut off valve,ie tap,dont know why renting off council,anytime there is a plumbing prob for past 11 yrs,they connect a garden hose to copper cylinder and down the stairs into garden to drain supply....just discovered after baths last night no taps connected to attic supply working...so I went to attic to investigate and found large tank dry small one with ball cock begining to freeze....I know the possibilities of pipes bursting or leaking with the thaw but could there be any chance does anyone know that if i was to wrap the pipes up there with old clothes etc,would it help prevent the leak or is it too late,I've rang a few plumbers for advice but all they will tell me is wait to see what happens when the thaw comes.......Also I have an open fireplace with back boiler,I know i cant heat the rads with a big fire if there is no electricity but can i with my water situation,i know theres water in the boiler that circulates to the rads but after that im at a loss..... PLEASE can anyone Advise..... thanks in advance to anyone who reads this and can advise me on what to do.I rang the council hotline but have to wait in turn till mon.....

	Posted: 09-01-2010 , 11:26 PM #2
denkarma Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: limerick Posts: 58	hi Not 100% sure but any time we had no water coming into the house we never used the back-boiler because I had heard that it could be dangerous. The pipes in the attic should be lagged (covered) with a foam insulation that you can get in any diy store. It wont help unfreeze the water but it will help when the water is back on.If your attic is insulated make sure that the insulation does not go under the water tank in the attic as this could cause the tank to freeze. You should insulate around the outside of the tank and on top , the heat coming from the room below through the un insulated section under the tank will keep it from freezing. Hope this helps. I am not a plumber but it is the way I heard it should be done . so I used this method and never had any problems with frozen pipes. Good Luck Denis

	Posted: 10-01-2010 , 02:17 AM #3
lolo1 Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Tipperary Posts: 266	water pipes Hi Dee we are on mains here to and if have no water in the tanks in the attic you cannot hear you rads or use oil central heating as your cylinder in the hot press can blow up at least thats what we were told but if you have a light in your attic leave it on as the heat from the bulb can sometimes be enough to stop the pipes freezing and yes it would be great to wrap clothes towels duvet blankets old coats etc around the tanks and the pipes it will all help Do the council not have an emergency after hours number you can call but either way dont rip the head off them even though you may feel like it when you are talking to them as it will only make things harder for yourself in the long run i have found that out the hard way when i was living in council property. Hope this helps a little also dont have too big a fire in the open fire as this can lead to more dammage in the pipes and the back boiler itself Kindest Regards and best of luck Lolo

	Posted: 10-01-2010 , 10:41 PM #4
sligoames Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo Posts: 89	i have the same exact problem here too, my pipes and tank are all lagged but this did not prevent anything from freezing, what i have done is rigged up a infa red lamp above the copper pipes and a regular lamp with 100 watt bulb close enough to the pipes (about two feet) and left them on constantly, we now have the toilet back working and the mains water is slowly seeping back into the house, our outside tap is cracked and leaked a lot but now it is one giant ice waterfall, so gotta sort that out as soon as thaw happens. just be careful with the lamps make sure you dont have them too close to pipes as this can cause damage too. took about a day to get to dribble status

	Posted: 11-01-2010 , 12:09 AM #5
dee1 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: co. clare Posts: 524	First off I want to thank everyone for their assistance,it was reall nice of you all... Ok,well by the grace of the Gods, for no apparent reason while i was cleaning the bathroom this afternoon, hit a pipe with the mop next thing the toilet cistern started to fill,so up with me to the attic and low and behold there was the large tank filling up,I was like a child on Christmas morning with excitment, and yes I have to admit tears of joy,see I'm easily pleased, anyway tonight the plummer out our way who heard the story through that ever famous grapevine rang, told him the story and he said he would call within a half hour,which he did.You know what had happened, the cock stop had jammed hence the reason for the dry tank, so he said, he reckons the vibration from the bang jolted the stopcock,He also said that it is often the stopcock that can cause other probs like overflowing etc... Anyway so long as it wasn't anything like burst pipes I'm not complaining and he is going to call tomorrow to lag my pipes and see about supplying me with a shut off system under the sink,and to put my mind at ease because when they layed new paths in our area they covered over the external cut off valves,he showed my which taps to shut down my internal water supply if I needed to, not that I plan to.So I<m one happy woman tonight and againg would thank all thoes who replied with words of advice and offers of help. Bright Blessings to you and yours.....dee1.

	Posted: 11-01-2010 , 01:12 AM #6
lolo1 Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Tipperary Posts: 266	re pipes Hi Dee Im realy delighted for you that everything worked out ok when your plumber friend comes back ask him about the heating as i was told today that you can have your heating on if its oil when there is no water coming into your house as there is a small usually red sealed tank in either the attic or the hot press which is sealed and full of water and this tank is where the water for the radiatiors come from and this tank can never run out of water unless you break the seal and empty it urself, Hope this helps a little for the future kindest regards Lolo

	Posted: 11-01-2010 , 07:14 PM #7
Trevalhean Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Wicklow Posts: 34	Water pipes I have attached a link to Wicklow County Council's website on frozen pipes and how to deal with them. Hope this helps you http://www.wicklow.ie/apps/wicklowbe...BigFreeze.aspx

	Posted: 11-01-2010 , 10:05 PM #8
sligoames Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo Posts: 89	disgusted that you had an easy fix, im still waterless and had plumber out and my mains into the house is burst and has cracked the outside of my wall, so when it thaws my house will flood, so im bring back the sandbags, and if it still freezes later on in the week ill have an ice skating rink in my house, oh yeah, so sick of this weather.