Ok the pipes in my moms bathroom in the trailer are frozen. No hot water no cold water toilet does not refill. the water in the main bathroom and kitchen work Ok(for now) as they have heat wrap tape on the supply pipe under the trailer. I do not know if the section of pipe that goes to the bedroom bath is wrapped or not i didn't craw that far in the summer). Are the pipes in the frozen section at risk for bursting? We have the cabinet door open but didn't help.

 

Yes, they are

Listen for the noise of water leaking out of the pipes when you get them thawed out

 

Most likely frozen under the home. Inside the cabinet should be ok for now.

 

Guess im going to have to craw under the trailer in 12 degree temps and take a peek. the trailer park charges $100 if a freeze up occurs and they have to fix it cause in a letter they sent out we(the tenets) are responsible for the placement of the heat tape or heat wrap and to make sure it works and as far i could tell there is only 1 installed that whys the main bath and kitchen have not frozen yet. I'll craw under with a camera and see what i can find.

 

We used to open up a section of the trailer skirt and get a kerosene torpedo heater and aim it under the trailer. Leave the frozen faucets open and water should start to flow. 20 minutes? 40 minutes? It depends on how frozen. Poly pipe in trailer or is it copper? Poly has more flex and resists bursting better.

If you get it thawed then what you can do is run a small pencil stream of water our each faucet hot and cold. Moving water wont freeze. Do this until temps get above freezing.

Just a note with the heater make sure you follow instructions and dont aim it at flammable items. You dont want to burn the trailer down. Also you may get a smell in the house. I used to ask the homeoners to go out and get lunch while I was doing this. Plus possible CO2 issues.

Mike NJ


Mike NJ

 

Well it appears white pex for one of the pipes and its frozen stiff when you try to move it you can here ice inside it. There is heat tape up to the water meter and there is a hookup for a garden house which has working water. Here are some pics.

 

You could try a heat gun on that pipe. Hair dryer may work but be carful not to melt the pipe. Leave the frozen faucet open and slowly heat the frozen section of pipe. Once you get the faucet to start dripping it should start flowing soon after. You could get heat tape and apply it to that pipe but I am not a big fan. Less labor by trying the kerosene heater. You should have insulation in the meter pit. Run your other faucets with a pencil stream so then dont freeze.

Mike NJ

Let us know.

 

I have a 900BTU box type kerosene heater. If i was to install a heat wrap would it thaw the pipe out too fast.

 

Only 900 btu? Whats the model and make? Try heat tape, try the heater, try the hair dryer.."get er done"

You cant thaw the pipe too fast.....

Mike NJ

 

You're renting this place, and it is YOUR responsibility for THEIR installation of THEIR failed exposed pipe??? What's up with that? No one leaves pipes exposed like that, especially under a mobile home with minimal ability to ward off cold. Don't make sense.

 

There's quite a few shady trailer park owners that sell their MHs [usually at an inflated price] on a rent to own basis. Their main reason for doing this is that takes the insurance and repair responsibility away from them. Since many of these MHs aren't stable enough to move, the landlord usually gets them back when the tenent/owner moves and then he starts the same process all over again

I don't know if that describes Flirty's situation but that's how a lot of the cheaper trailer parks work.

 

The pipe that goes to the main bathroom and the kitchen have heat tape on it and its insulated. for the bedroom bathroom there is that while PVC or pex that goes from the cold water supply pipe before the meter and goes up to the bedroom. Seeing how small that pipe is can heat tape be placed on it?

 

Now ALL the pipes have frozen. The heat tape must have quit. Im hesitant to use the kerosene heater cause of the insulation under the trailer but maybe if i put it on low setting. no water at all now. Using the meter set to R 1K the needle goes all the way to 0 set to 10 it goes to 10 set to 1 it goes to i guess 100

 

Should of ran the pencil stream like I said!!!!! You know it was getting cold!!!!

Good luck

Mike NJ

 

BUT I HAD HEAT TAPE IN THE SECTION OF PIPE THAT NEVER FROZE TILL NOW!!!!! i checked the hot water tank since the main bathroom is a direct shootvia the pressure relief valve. No pressure.

 

OK while under there I noticed that there were huge icicles at least a few inches thick hanging from where the water heater sites. I'm wonder if the water heater blew out. the heat tape feels Luke warm to the touch. there is a steal looking pipe that goes into a PVC pipe.

 

OK got water flowing again. I used a hair dryer and used it on the water meter as that's were it was frozen at. under the pipe insulation it was nice and warm so the heat tape is working. I opened the valve to the hose connection under the trailer and stuck the blow dryer in there and after a minute water started flowing again. Then a few minutes after that the bathroom and kitchen got water. I took a picture of the ice from the pipes after I removed them. No sign of a leak so it must be a very slow leak



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