washer frozen

My washer is frozen again. 1st (last week) it was the rubber hose's to the washer and the shut off valve's. Ran a kerosene heater a while, but could not get watter to fill up. Tonight I did get it to fill up with COLD water, (Hot would not fill) but now it won't pump the water out, it just hums. I guess it blows the overload, as it quits humming and I smell slight burning, then if I turn it on again, it will hum again. I had this last year too, but when It warmed up enough, it finely worked OK. So now the washer is full of water, but wont pump. I think the pump is frozen in the washer and the drain line. To give you an Idea, slight drip from laundry sink has filled sink an inch or so, and has frozen up. I have the kerosene heater running next to the dryer, will let run a few hours, any other Ideas, would like to wash for work Monday. Someone said to put a light bulb in the washer, but I was leery now that it is full of water. The washer sits in front of an outside block wall, there is some type of fiber board on the wall, just down by the washer and dryer only, with insulation behind it, but it is starting to get crappy and falling apart ( the fiber board). Should I maybe buy some insulation and cover it with plywood some how. This is in the back of a garage at ground level., the apartment is over the garage. If I get this thawed, can I keep a light bulb burning in there, inside the washer? Any other Ideas, Thanks, Tony

Reply to
ant30dio
Loading thread data ...

Well went down, turned it to Heavy, pull out, now she will agitate. So it must have been frozen. Took about 3.75 hours. I'd like to keep it thawed. Looking for Ideas, anyone done the light bulb burning in the tub thing? Any Ideas on insulation behind washer. Wondering if plywood only, over the fiber board would help any. I will try to link to some pictures tomorrow, Thanks, Tony

Reply to
ant30dio

Plywood has little insulation. Use foam board of at least an inch. More is better.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Plywood has little insulation. Use foam board of at least an inch. =A0More is

Not quite sure what foam board is, But is this something I can install with out insulation behind it, I would prefer to do so. Thanks, Tony

Reply to
ant30dio

How about duct board used for AC ducts?

Reply to
Ron

Well, I can say I've just about had it. The cycle must have been out of sync, even though the timer said off, there was still water in there, and needless to say the laundry sink is not draining properly, so I had to remove a few bucket fulls of water from it to get it to drain, probably the trap under it is frozen. I need to get that wall insulated or something, Maybe foam board is what is there now, it is brown, and if you had it, I'm sure you could break it with your hands, Had enough tonight, will post pictures of it tomorrow. Thanks, Tony

Reply to
ant30dio

Sheets of Styrofoam, or urethane foam, or eps polystyrene foam. Available at any home center.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Keep in mind, no matter how well you insulate, you still need a heat source to start with.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Strangely, hot freezes sooner than cold. It was explained here once.

If you smell burning each time, stop doing this. If it doesnt' pump almost immediately, it's not going to pump.

Probably.

Duh.

Where is this? The basement? Is the basement heated at all? Can you sit down there for a couple hours without a heavy coat on? If it's too cold to sit there, give up on trying to use it, until it's warmer and it thaws out. Stop making it hum. Perhaps you can warm the whole room, with a fan from the nearest heated room. Most of the heat will be absorbed by the ice in the washer, and eventually the ice will melt. Do your laundry at a laundromat until you can use the washer.

I don't think it's very likely the ice will break the washer, but others may say differently.

Oh, now you tell me. :)

That won't keep the hoses from freezing. YOu should turn the water to the hoses off, so if they burst, they won't spray water everywhere for hours.

Reply to
mm

To OP stated where it was located, but for some reason you felt like picking the post apart.

Haven't posted here in a while, but I can see you are the same d*****ad that you have always been here.

BTW, how many analog CRT TVs have you found in the trash after the switchover?

Reply to
Ron

I take it you are renting this place? Talk to the landlord. He doesn't want broken pipes/appliances and a flood any more than you do. Sounds like some remodeling is needed- maybe an insulated closet around the laundry appliances, with a heat source of some kind to keep it above freezing. Yes, a hard sustained freeze can destroy a washer, if it is full of water. Not the tub, the plastic pump and fittings underneath it. How breezy is it in the garage? If there is a door near the washer, stuffing up any cracks where daylight shows through may help. A lightbulb UNDER the washer may help, if you can place it so it won't melt any plastic, or be sitting in a puddle. Setting washer on a layer of foam board with plywood over could help too. If you can stand to pay the electric bill for it, one of those little space heaters with a blower, blowing hot air under the washer, could thaw things out. Hard to say without seeing pictures of washer and how supply lines run. Fix could be trivial, or could be a major job.

In general, unheated garages are lousy places for washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, etc, if you live where it freezes hard. If you aren't comfortable there, they aren't either.

You should plan on using a laundromat until weather breaks and/or you get a proper fix done. Turn the supply valves off, disconnect one end and let them hang in a bucket to drain as they melt. Siphon as much water out as you can from the tub. Pull the drain hose out of standpipe, and lay it on the floor in a pan or near a drain, so the ice plug in there can drain as it melts.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

Some important questions and considerations. Where do the water supply lines run? How cold is it in the actual garage area around the pipes, washer, and sink? It sounds like it is below freezing since the trap on the sink froze. If that's the case, my immediate concern would be that the supply lines are going to freeze and bust and you'll have a much bigger problem.

And given the above, I doubt a light bulb inside the washer is going to be the solution. A combination of pipe heat tape, an electric heater, and some insulation would be more likely to work.

Reply to
trader4

mm wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Sometimes. It can't be said as a blanket statement.

Reply to
Red Green

Ditto...Run the heater till the weather warms up or go to the laundramat...Which ever is easier for ya....Nothing else is gonna work and you're gonna ruin the washer if you keep trying to run it frozen......I can't believe you don't have broken pipes yet....On second thought maybe you do and you will see them when they unthaw...

Reply to
benick

Urgh. At least it was still frozen when you found it. I had one a couple of years ago where the water left in the pump/drain had frozen overnight, expanded and pushed the drain pipe off. Then it had thawed by morning, so first load dumped water out all over the floor...

Reply to
Jules

I reread the post. There's nothing wrong with it. Even the line you quote I end with a smiley.

I would answer that question if you hadn't insulted me in the line before it.

And Red is right. I'm sure hot doesn't always freeze faster than cold. I'll say it differently next time.

Reply to
mm

Doesn't it involve evaporation that speeds cooling?

Reply to
Tony

Reply to
Michael B

On Jan 10, 2:06=A0pm, mm wrote:

Well, Thanks for all the thoughts, I posted some pictures for S&G's, As I may waite till spring to fix it up, and go to the Laundermat as mentioned. No, mm, I think the *HOT* was frozen 1st, (or longer.....) as the cold would flow into the washer (Cold wash/Cold rinse) but the hot would not, as in Hot wash/ cold rinse) You enter back there through sort of an basement side, (one of the garages was blocked off, and a stairway to up stairs was built, with sort of an entrance way)..........So there is a door way and a wall as you can see in the picture. Might want to put a door there, and close off the "storage" area near the hot water heater. Will need some type of "door" there too,even if it's just a removeable panel of some sort. I see lowes has this polyisocyanurate board in 1 inch and 1/2 inch, But then I see the rools of insulation with a much higher R- Value, So I am a little comfused about all that, But not to worry too much right now.

formatting link
Yes I am renting, The Landlord is OK with fixing it, He said He will pay for the parts and My labor to do it. We looked at it last year, and He wanted me to get a heater, But running an heater with out closeing it in better, and fixing the insulation would kill be in electric, I would think. (This place is all electric) But once again I didn't do nothing with it this summer or fall, and............. BAM!!, ............winter was here, before you know it. There was nothing done really since I moved here, been here about 5-6 years. Anything I usually fix, and just charged for parts, sometimes not even if it was small, Little stuff I just live with, where if it was like a husband and wife here, She would want fixed. I sort of figgure " I don't bother Him, He don't bother me".............. I pay $300.00 Plus here, and That is not too bad for around here, as I rented it for the Garage/Basement for my woodworking. Oh well, here are the Pictures, derict links @ photobucket. Thanks, Tony
formatting link
Winter Project (Kitchen) Off E Bay Machinist Chest Before Cleaning and Light Striping
formatting link
Cleaning and Light Striping
formatting link

Reply to
ant30dio

Tony wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net:

Possible factors are too numerious. Science is still arguing about it. Just Google it and read till your fed up.

Reply to
Red Green

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.