My pipes froze and now did break, water all over the place...

Do I have to shut off my hot water tank? I never did that before. How do I turn that thing off? How to get the water out?

I have straw outside my crawl space home to warm the pipes. I had water dripping from the faucets so that the pipes don't freeze. I opened the closets underneath the sinks. I had a space heater blowing warm heat at the pipes, nevertheless they FROZE and bursted today.

I don't think that I get a plummer before Tuesday.

I shut the main water valve off.

Now, my question is: As I am living alone, would you shut the main water valve off every day before you go to bed and empty all pipes and open the main water valve the next morning to protect the pipes?

Is there anything that speaks against shutting the main water switch off every day?

What I am thinking is this: If the plummer is fixing the pipes on Tuesday, it might cost me dearly. Then he goes, the next day, they freeze again up on me, etc. And I have to fix them again, and again, and again, till it is finally spring.

What do you think?

Gene

Reply to
GeneCook2008
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Leave the water heater alone. No need to drain it and it won't freeze anyway.

Yes, you can shut the Main every night and drain the pipes. The Main valve might wear out evenually, but it's a risk you may have to take.

The pipes which are freezing could best be protected with "heat tape" (electrical heater) you wrap around it.

Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

Hi Jim, but there might be still some water in it. I ran the faucets and no water is coming anymore from them. But gas goes then in an empty water heater? Or half empty water heater? Is that something to worry about?

And gas is on because I also heat my kitchen with it.

Right. I might have to buy a new one then.

Guess I'll buy that as fast as I can.

Reply to
GeneCook2008

The heater will remain totally full of water because the outlet pipe is at the top.

Don't worry about the gas being on; the thermostat on the heater will control when the gas fire needs to turn on.

Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

It is a new water heater. So, it should have that safety measurement in place, I guess.

Thanks, Jim

Gene.

Reply to
GeneCook2008

There is usually a valve in the water pipe that is going into the top of the heater. That shuts off the supply. To drain it, there is usually a spigot at the bottom of the heater. If you drain the heater you must shut off the gas. Either look for a valve in the gas line, or the tank control itself should have a rotary switch that you can turn to "off".

First you need to figure out why your pipes froze. You seem to be in Erfurt, Germany. Since I am in the U.S., I am not familiar with the current weather there. Is there record breaking cold?

If not, why did the pipes not freeze before? Has insulation been removed for some reason?

Although it will prevent further flooding, turning the water off at the main and draining the pipes by opening faucets will do little good to prevent freezing. Water will still be trapped in the lowest point of the pipes under your house, and will still be subject to freezing and bursting. To purge the pipes, you'd have to disconnect at the mail shut off, and blow all the water out of the system with compressed air.

So your best bet, if you can afford it, is to quickly get some good insulation on the pipes, have a plumber repair the damage (unless you are able to do it yourself) and go from there.

About your water heater, if you drain the water out, you either have to turn the gas off or the tank will be damaged when it lights. If the tank stays full of water, as other have noted, you should be fine.

Reply to
Tony Sivori

I can't drain the heater because I have no garden hose. I have to buy one first.

I am not in Erfurt but in the Kansas City area. I am posting with a TOR proxy because a friend told me that I will get stalkers when they find my real IP number and hack my computer as Usenet would be a very unfriendly place.

I have just a crawl space andthe house is 50 years old. I got new plumbing this summer but it froze. Perhaps I should have wrapped it.Not just put staw outside.

I have no such equipment. I better leave the heat on tonight.

I don't understand much of it and don't have tools to saw pipes. I have to get somebody who knows but I can't reach anybody for two days due to the holiday.

That is the problem. I am not sure if the heater stays full of water or if it freezes too when no gas is in.

No water is running from my faucets but I don't know about what's in the water heater.

Gene

Reply to
GeneCook2008

You are a moron that should live in a hospital or a POS f***in TROLL id say f***in Piece Of Shit TROLL

Reply to
ransley

What a bunch of BSS

Reply to
ransley

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