Hot water tap stopped working

[MODERN LASS]

Hi! My upstairs bathroom sink hot water tap has stopped working with no water at all flowing. I don't think that its the water pressure as the other 3 taps in the bathroom are fine ...any ideas?

[buffalobill]

frozen? open the vanity below the sink and let the pipes running thru an outside wall thaw. speed it up by warming things up with a fan. hot water freezes before cold water.

[Bob]

Sorry Bill, but hot water does not freeze before cold water. There are more BTUs in hot water, and it takes longer for those BTUs to leave the water. The molecules are bouncing around faster, and it takes longer for them to slow down. Take a bucket of both and stick them outside. You'll find out.

[Bob]

You may be correct about the frozen pipe. I would suggest that the OP check for pipe cracks and make sure they know where the shut off valve is before thawing it out.

[Stretch]

Bob, I was a plumber/pipefitter in Pennsylvania for 8 years before moving to South Carolina. Often the hot water would freeze and not the cold. Makes no sense, but it happened a lot.

Stretch

[Doug Miller]

Makes sense *only* if the hot water is in a smaller pipe. Otherwise, it's simply not possible.

[Bob]

I've heard the statement that hot water freezes before cold water for years. People come up with all kinds of arguments, but the most common one is that some of the oxygen has been removed from hot water. If you're just comparing hot and cold water, the statement simply isn't true. I agree that hot water pipes will "often" freeze before cold water pipes, but when water is in pipes, there are too many variables. OT, I even had a woman argue with me once that heat doesn't rise. lol

[spudnuty]

[MasterBlaster]

"MODERN LASS" wrote

Someone playing with the shutoff valve in the vanity (under the sink)? Frozen pipe? (see other posts) Plastic supply line crimped by shoving too much stuff into vanity? Handle stripped, and isn't turning the stem? Washer retaining screw came off, and washer is stuck to seat? Washer disintegrated and plugged internal passages?

[unclevito]

Dear Modern Lass, Look under the sink up at the underside of the faucet. If you have a widespread faucet (where the hot and cold handles are more than 4 inches apart) the hot and cold valves are connected to the center spout with flexible hoses and I think the hose from the hot valve to the spout has become kinked because the hot side valve got overtightened or the nut holding it in place has become a bit loose. Please let me know if this helped. RepairGuy

[buffalobill]

maybe you need to ask your plumber about these items i learned from one, john huffnagle in buffalo ny: hot water pipes will freeze before cold water pipes. wind chill factor will freeze water pipes in exterior walls. a thick blanket of fallen snow like a foot or two ap against the building can keep a water supply pipe at the surface of the ground where it enters the building at grade from freezing.