Frozen plumbing

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Argus21

Argus21

Active member
Joined
Jan 21, 2019
Posts
28
Maybe this will help someone else. 
We had 3 degree temps last night here on the East Coast and the windchill was -15.  I left the shower, bathroom sink and kitchen sink dripping cold water and went to bed.  When I got up, they were still dripping and I thought all was well.  When I turned on the hot water, there was no flow from any faucet.  Frozen up!  I tried portable heaters and even crawled under this beast with a heat gun and flashlight to thaw it out with no luck. Since dynamite was not a viable option, I was thinking of just waiting for the summer.  I decided to try some suction to clear the ice out of it.  I took the head off the kitchen faucet and stuck the wet/dry shop vac hose on it.  Sealed up this engineering wonder with duct tape and turned on the vac.  In about 10 minutes it changed tones as it filled up with hot water from the kitchen sink faucet outlet it was hooked to.  The vac shut off as designed when the float in it was raised by the hot water.  Problem solved.  Tonight, I will leave the hot water dripping as well.

 
We dropped to -3 wind chill last night and I left two faucets dripping hot water and one dripping cold water.  All 3 were working this morning so there was no cold shower to endure before heading for work.

Cheers! ;)
 
  I read someone was trying a recirculating pump.....I am in the Pocono area and had the cold side freeze.....kept the hot side flowing. My problem area is low point drains towards kitchen island. I did a lot of insulation and if not for the wind chills of well below 0 I might have been ok. Bathroom faucets all fine. The fun of winter in an rv! Lol
 
2011 Adventurer 35.  Owning it has proven to be an adventure at times!
 
Remember if the hot water is not flowing, the hot water in the pipes soon becomes cold water, and like the cold water side, they are just as apt to freeze.
 
Torment is not yet over.  When I got home I found water dripping from the hot water heater compartment.  Too dark and cold to deal with it tonight.  At least it isn't gushing.....
Will post what I find.
 
Symptoms are indicating a split tank on an Atwood GCH10A-4E water heater.  The drips all come out of the front of the unit just under the hinge holding the black sheetmetal door onto the unit.  No leaks detected in the back of the unit.  Looks to be a $6-700 replacement cost plus labor and travel.  I have an RV guy coming to look at it before ordering any  parts. 
 
If you stay in the camper in cold weather frequently, I would advise investing in some heat rope and some pipe insulation. The one in this link is approved for use on both pex and copper. It does have a thermostat built into the it as well, so it isn't on all the time.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-18-ft-Automatic-Electric-Heat-Cable-Kit-HC18A/100196820?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-205933690-_-100196820-_-N

I would wrap it around the pipe in a spiral pattern inside of slightly oversized insulation. You should only need it in areas that don't receive direct heat from the furnace. For example, my camper has pex running through the basement which is in the cab technically, but the heat is blocked by the walls under the bed.
 
I agree with Gary. Highly unlikely the water in the tank froze solid in one night.  Don't let the tech talk you into a new tank unless he can show you where the water is coming from.
 
Tech just called and is on the way.  I will crawl under this beast with him and see what he says/sees.
 
Fixed!  We took the back panel off the water heater and found no leaks but there was water under it.  After moving a couple of bikes, we then checked the compartment to its left which houses the 12v water pump and the winterizing connections.  The back connection on the pump was leaking and the water from it ran into the next lower compartment (the water heater compartment) to obey the rules imposed by mother gravity.  The L shaped connector on one end of it is a quick disconnect type and it's sealing ring was causing the offending leak.  Plugged off that line and ended the source of the water coming from the heater compartment.  I am on city water and don't use the 12v pump very often.  Will hook it up later with clamps and conventional connectors.  Sure beats buying  $700 water heater.  Thanks for all the coaching and hints from the forum.

Damn fine tech!  Honest too!
KUDOS to Bill of East Coast Vehicle Repair in Union Bridge, MD!  Hope that is OK to do on this board
 
Yep, ok to do and recommended.  There's actually a whole service and repairs review section on this site.
 
Damn fine tech!  Honest too!
KUDOS to Bill of East Coast Vehicle Repair in Union Bridge, MD!

Glad you got things fixed..and it's always good to give praise.
 
Argus21 said:
....Damn fine tech!  Honest too!
KUDOS to Bill of East Coast Vehicle Repair in Union Bridge, MD!  Hope that is OK to do on this board
Click to expand...
That's fine but please make a post in the service/repair reviews board - let others know about this good RV tech!
 
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