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Author Topic: Burst pipes  (Read 440 times)

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Offline Sourdough

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Burst pipes
« on: November 24, 2009, 08:26:11 AM »
Someone ask why I left so abruptly last night.  Wife was screaming from the garage.  The hot water pipe between the boiler and hot water heater had burst.  I had to leave to go fix it. 

Seems the neighbor got a new garage door opener.  He got a Sears 1/2 hp just like mine.  He randomly set his code, and just happened to set the same as my code.  When his wife came home yesterday she pushed the button as she passed my house.  My garage door opened and I did not know it.  When she went inside her garage and closed the door she was far enough not to close my door.  It was 10 below yesterday and the pipes behind the hot water heater that are against the back wall froze.  When I found the door open I checked for frozen pipes, but did not find the one leaking behind the heater.  They were still froze at that time and not leaking.  When they thawed, it was a mess.

To make repairs I needed two 1/2" couplings, and I only had one.  So off to the hardware store I went.  Got there after they had closed but the manager let me have what I needed.  She had already closed down her registers, and they were on a security system where they could not be opened till morning.  I went back this morning and paid for the items.  Nice to live in a small town where everyone knows you.
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Where is old Joe when we really need him?  Alaska Independence    Calling Illegal Immigrants "Undocumented Aliens" is like calling Drug Dealers "Unlicensed Pharmacists"
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Offline Blue Duck

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2009, 12:46:54 PM »
Bummer.  It always seems to be the hot water pipes.
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Offline slim rem 7

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2009, 01:24:25 PM »
water pipes in winter.. you think you got it covered an something like that happens..
   :(.. i hate to do this stuff ,an i use to be a plummer..slim
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Offline DalesCarpentry

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2009, 04:50:26 PM »
This maybe urban myth but I have always heard the hot water lines will freeze before the cold water lines. The reason being the salt in the water stays in the hot water tank. You guys ever heard of this? Dale
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Offline Sourdough

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2009, 08:57:31 PM »
Heating water changes it's molecular structure causing it to freeze first.  That's what they told me in Plumbing Tech School. 

40 years as a plumber, and most of it in alaska.  I can tell you it is always the hot water line that will freeze first.  And if one is going to burst it will be hot hot water line.
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Where is old Joe when we really need him?  Alaska Independence    Calling Illegal Immigrants "Undocumented Aliens" is like calling Drug Dealers "Unlicensed Pharmacists"
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A 'Veteran' -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America,' for an amount of 'up to, and including his life.' That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today who no longer understand that fact.

Offline Squib

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2009, 10:17:27 PM »
man, you left after I cracked a joke in a different board-- I felt bad and thought I offended you

sorry to hear about your pipes, at least you were a plumber for so long... how cold is it in your part of alaska right now?  how cold does it have to get for those pipes to pop like that?  it gets cold enough to slow the water flow or cause some leaks if someone is outta town for a few days during a blizzard (in Missouri) but I've never heard of garage pipes busting like that
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Offline williamlayton

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2009, 12:21:04 AM »
Were you boys on chat or another forum?
I can't think and type fast enough for chat---by the time I get it down the moment has passed.
Blessings
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Offline blind ear

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2009, 01:44:35 AM »
As water cools down it contracts, then toward freezing temperature it expands before makeing the transition from liquid to solid as the molecules allign before the crystals form. (Conveniently it expands to be less dense than water rather than contract to be more dense than water or all the ice would sink to the bottom of the ocean and never melt.)

When you heat water it expands. When the water is sitting in the pipe and gets cold it maintains its expanded state. This causes the water to have to lose less heat before reaching the solid state. It freezes faster but only after it has cooled I think, not sure. So I have read.
eddiegjr

Glad you got it fixed WilliamLayton, I Had a pumbers lisence but was a failure at it, I had to take up nursing. eddie
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Offline Squib

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2009, 12:25:39 PM »
I thought it was fine as long as the house/garage wasn't in the twenties or below and the water got used everyday (can't freeze if it's circulating unless it's REALLY cold)

I'm not handy though
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Offline Squib

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Re: Burst pipes
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2009, 02:39:05 AM »
sounds great till you leave your phone in your pocket unlocked....  :D
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