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Frozen water or septic

Started by r.man, February 23, 2015, 01:00:20 PM

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r.man

If anyone has frozen water pump lines or septic lines I can explain a cheap simple method of thawing that works in most cases. Our area has been susceptible this year with long cold spells mixed with high wind chills. So far I know of 5 systems affected that I have heard of. Post a question or PM me your phone number if you would rather talk about it.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

beenthere

r.man
Quotea cheap simple method of thawing that works

Explain away... we'll gladly listen.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

jaygtree

i thought i was wrong once but i wasn't.   atv, log arch, chainsaw and ez boardwalk jr.

brendonv

Would be good to hear. Can you cliffnotes the process instead of explaining the whole thing?

"Trees live a secret life only revealed to those that climb them"

www.VorioTree.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vorio-Tree-Experts-LLC/598083593556636

beenthere

"cliffnotes"... that must be something new.  ??
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

brendonv

Haha cliffnotes give key points of popular college and high school books without actually reading them.  Different generations.  :D
"Trees live a secret life only revealed to those that climb them"

www.VorioTree.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vorio-Tree-Experts-LLC/598083593556636

r.man

Lets talk about septic lines first which interestingly are less messy most of the time. You need enough 1/2 or 3/4 pex line to go from the septic tank to inside the house. Crimp a garden hose adapter on one end, trim the other end on a 45 degree angle and get a cheap garden hose ball valve. Dig up the first lid on your tank, closest to the house and check tank level. If it is normal, below the incoming pipe, then insert the open end of the pex into the waste pipe towards the house and push until it stops. You should now be up against ice. Put the valve on the other end, and hook to a garden hose hooked to a hot water tap. Most houses have at least one, generally for the washing machine. Turn the water partially on while gently pushing on the pex pipe. If you are against ice you should see slow movement of the pex after 30 seconds or so. Try to feather the water use so that you make progress with the ice without having steaming water coming back to the tank. Continue melting until you get a large flood from the built up liquid in the house. Put everything back and cover the tank with some snow if the ground is still covered. You can do this as well from the house cleanout but you have to drain built up liquid and take away all the water that you add to melt. For a water line you open up the line at the house, insert the pex and put a compressor on the hot water tap. You put your hose on the hot water tank drain after making sure it is turned off electrically. Again you have to haul away the water coming back out the pipe unless there is a sump nearby. If you do not have a supply of hot water, say a house with an on demand hot water heater you need to haul in or heat and reheat water on site and have a small pump to push it through the pex. I know someone who did it this way this year with a turkey cooker propane heater. With the heating method the pump should draw out of the container that the waste water comes back to with the water being swapped out hot occasionally. I have used a 5 gallon plastic pail with a house sump pump bushed down to garden hose size. More time consuming but with someone heating and swapping the water it is not too bad. The main thing that stops these methods are elbows in the lines. I did have to thaw one line from both ends once because there was an elbow in the middle blocking the pex line. Sorry about the length and it sounds more complicated than it is.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

r.man

Cliffnotes version. Use hot water pushed through a smaller pipe to melt the ice. The end. In Canada we had what were called " Coles notes." Romeo and Juliette in five pages etc. All the main characters, their motivation, the main plot and none of the "therefore what art thou " crap.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

beenthere

QuoteUse hot water pushed through a smaller pipe to melt the ice. The end.

Makes good sense...  ;D 

But if you're doing that to the septic pipe out of the house, you are gonna get "the crap" too.  ;)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

r.man

That is why it works best from outside, everything just drops into the tank.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

shinnlinger

How/where do you hook the compressor line?
Shinnlinger
Woodshop teacher, pasture raised chicken farmer
34 horse kubota L-2850, Turner Band Mill, '84 F-600,
living in self-built/milled timberframe home

DonT

There  where Coles notes for Romeo and Juliet?   Dang   

r.man

Shinnilinger I have hooked it up two ways. My compressors are all small portables with a quick connect that I have added. I use a quick connect to 1/4 thread adapter and either use threaded bushings to increase to 3/4 inch thread and go into the pressure relief valve of the hot water tank where the safety blow off hose normally goes or I adapt into half of a washing machine hose and go to a hot water tap, generally the hot water side of the washing machine hook up. Sometimes there is a more convenient tap and I have been known to solder in a T and hose bib tap at the top of the tank. I try to scrounge old washing machine hoses whenever I get a chance. Generally one end is bad so I cut that off and end up with a short hose that I can leave on the cold water drain tap near the pump. This allows the homeowner to draw pails of water at the pump or drain the system into a pail rather than hooking a full sized hose up.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

r.man

Hey Don, how are things in the glass blowing capital of Ontario?
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

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