So... we have no water.. can you help me troubleshoot?

[Red Squirrel]

Hmmm yeah guess he can't wait for snow to melt. Emergency toilet water!

 

[local]

I would bet that the line is frozen somewhere between the water meter at the curb and where it enters your house and that would be your responsibility. There isn't much you can do about this other than dig up the line, find the freeze and thaw it out. If the line comes up in an unconditioned garage it is possible that it is frozen in there and would be easier to access.

I'm not sure about the building codes where you are but here most newer houses use a poly pipe for everything past the meter. That pipe is a bit more resistant to breaking due to freezing. But if it is copper then you will probably have a water line break when it thaws.

As far as the inspection camera is concerned, those are for drain lines that are at least a couple inches in diameter. I'm not going to say they don't exist for 1" or 3/4" lines but even if they did no one would have one due to extremely limited usage scenarios.

Next time it gets this cold I would recommend leaving a faucet dripping in your house, the water movement will help resist freezing. I have to do this myself due to a pipe in an exterior wall that freezes if I don't.

<-- Works for an HVAC and Plumbing service company.

 

[Papa Hogan]

Here's the thing...if it's cold in his area, we know there is a high chance of the water line being frozen. If he were in Florida, it's highly unlikely to freeze and we could talk about other causes. Of course with the weather lately, who knows?

Why do we need to know WHERE the water line is frozen with a scope? Are we going to dig it up and thaw it when we know where it is frozen? Let's talk about the bill for an excavator for a moment. https://slwablog.com/2014/06/16/average-cost-of-a-service-line-repair-or-replacement/ So around one thousand dollars in around 2014. He could take the day off work tomorrow and get his water line thawed out according to the video, or check the forecast and hope it warms up.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I would bet that the line is frozen somewhere between the water meter at the curb and where it enters your house and that would be your responsibility. There isn't much you can do about this other than dig up the line, find the freeze and thaw it out. If the line comes up in an unconditioned garage it is possible that it is frozen in there and would be easier to access.

I'm not sure about the building codes where you are but here most newer houses use a poly pipe for everything past the meter. That pipe is a bit more resistant to breaking due to freezing. But if it is copper then you will probably have a water line break when it thaws.

As far as the inspection camera is concerned, those are for drain lines that are at least a couple inches in diameter. I'm not going to say they don't exist for 1" or 3/4" lines but even if they did no one would have one due to extremely limited usage scenarios.

Next time it gets this cold I would recommend leaving a faucet dripping in your house, the water movement will help resist freezing. I have to do this myself due to a pipe in an exterior wall that freezes if I don't.

<-- Works for an HVAC and Plumbing service company.

Cameras for pipes of smaller diameter would work perfectly fine in larger diameter pipes. The question is why did the water supply freeze in the first place (if it's indeed frozen)? Code requires the water supply be buried below the frost line.

 

[boomerang]

Where you live, is it unusually cold there?

Where are the space heaters? In the garage I hope.

Is the line in the garage copper?

 

[Humpy]

Emergency toilet water!

 

[Papa Hogan]

Cameras for pipes of smaller diameter would work perfectly fine in larger diameter pipes. The question is why did the water supply freeze in the first place (if it's indeed frozen)? Code requires the water supply be buried below the frost line.

Could be an extraordinarily cold winter. Which it is here. And the frost has gone deeper than ever before.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Could be an extraordinarily cold winter. Which it is here. And the frost has gone deeper than ever before.

Heard some musings that a mini ice-age may be coming.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Is there maybe a walk way or something that you've been shoveling that you normally don't shovel? Just a shot in the dark though, but removing snow from areas that may have a line that pass under will result in frost going deeper. Though water lines are normally 10 feet deep or more so that should not technically matter... especially this early in winter. It is an issue here for the city water mains that pass under the highway though. They use a lot of salt now days so there's never any snow pack on the road and the frost gets driven deeper. When I used to handle emergency cable locates it was super busy all winter stating at around 7am. There was at least one water main break per day in the area and like more than half the time it was the highway.

Funny thing is we got a new poop processing plant but they decided to go with an open air tank... stupid idea for here. The poop now freezes solid. They had to install infrared heaters to keep the poop warm. Seriously. Our tax dollars are being used to run heaters to warm up our poop.

 

[lxskllr]

That would be a downgrade from my /not too bad/ tap water, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I guess if you have no beer in the house, and that's all you have, you can drink it, then upper deck #1's so you can flush your #2's. But if you have beer in the house then you can skip the drink part.

 

[Humpy]

That would be a downgrade from my /not too bad/ tap water, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Exactly, a quick run to Costco to make sure the toilet tanks don't run dry and then just call a plumber on Monday.

 

[Humpy]

I guess if you have no beer in the house, and that's all you have, you can drink it, then upper deck #1's so you can flush your #2's. But if you have beer in the house then you can skip the drink part.

That's non-potable beer only for use in toilets or waterboarding hippies.

 

[MtnMan]

If the pipe is frozen underground, that means the ground is frozen. Water should return by March or April when the ground thaws.

Or someone pranked you and turn it off at the meter.
Or there was a cut-off order for non-payment on a similiar address and they cut yours off by mistake. (Happened to my daughter who lives on Maple Cir, and the cutoff was for Maple Rd)

 

[Darwin333]

Yeah they are, but what happens is they'll often try to tell you the problem is in your house, but yeah, I would try them first. Here I believe they are responsible for everything up to the street shut off though. Or maybe it's up to your own shut off, I can't recall. In my city we don't have meters though. In places that have meters then they'd be responsible up to the meter which would be indoors.

Virtually everywhere I've ever seen the meter is usually located in the right of way between the sidewalk and curb or within a foot or two of the curb if no sidewalk. You are responsible for everything between that point and your house and the city is responsible for everything from the meter going the other way. I've never heard of the city being responsible for pipes on your property, I'm sure somewhere it might be the case it just isn't common here in freedumb land.

 

[brianmanahan]

reported for not posting in H&G forum

P.S. i hope you can use your toilet again

 

[Darwin333]

How long are those scopes? Long enough to go through the line from the house to the meter at the street?

Yes, during most standard home inspections done during the home buying aspect they will run that scope all the way to the meter to inspect the underground pipes. They are expensive as fuck to fix so you really want to know that they are in good shape.

 

[Darwin333]

Funny thing is we got a new poop processing plant but they decided to go with an open air tank... stupid idea for here. The poop now freezes solid. They had to install infrared heaters to keep the poop warm. Seriously. Our tax dollars are being used to run heaters to warm up our poop.

😀😀😀

 

[Red Squirrel]

Virtually everywhere I've ever seen the meter is usually located in the right of way between the sidewalk and curb or within a foot or two of the curb if no sidewalk. You are responsible for everything between that point and your house and the city is responsible for everything from the meter going the other way. I've never heard of the city being responsible for pipes on your property, I'm sure somewhere it might be the case it just isn't common here in freedumb land.

The meter outside? Wouldn't that freeze like all the time? Here we have no meters, but you can get one if you want. (you pay for what you use instead of flat fee) and it's installed in your basement where your line comes in. The line never sees daylight from there or it would freeze. Though I'm not sure how responsibility works, if it's from the outside valve or the meter. That really depends on the city. I would think it's at the outside valve. So the line from the valve to inside your house is your responsibility.

 

[Darwin333]

BTW, you don't need to use warm/hot water to unfreeze the pipe using the aquarium pump method. Cold water will work just about as well and would be infinitely easier.

 

[Darwin333]

The meter outside? Wouldn't that freeze like all the time? Here we have no meters, but you can get one if you want. (you pay for what you use instead of flat fee) and it's installed in your basement where your line comes in. The line never sees daylight from there or it would freeze. Though I'm not sure how responsibility works, if it's from the outside valve or the meter. That really depends on the city. I would think it's at the outside valve. So the line from the valve to inside your house is your responsibility.

Sorry, here our meters are outside but it rarely freezes and if it does not for long. Interchange meter for city shutoff valve.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Sorry, here our meters are outside but it rarely freezes and if it does not for long. Interchange meter for city shutoff valve.

That's an interesting way of doing it then and seems risky. So the actual shut off is actually above ground too at the meter? Normally an outside shut off is actually a very long shaft to the valve that's like 10 feet under. Need a street key to get to it which is basically a long rod when some kind of attachment (think like a socket? Never actually seen one) Then if there's a meter it's in the building.

 

[local]

Cameras for pipes of smaller diameter would work perfectly fine in larger diameter pipes. The question is why did the water supply freeze in the first place (if it's indeed frozen)? Code requires the water supply be buried below the frost line.

I know that I was talking about cameras for lines that small. It would have to be absolutely tiny to go through the 90 degree angles in a domestic water line. Cameras are designed to go through the much larger pipe and sweeping bends in a waste water system. That being said sure you could dig up the line at the edge of the house and cut it open. Then stick a small borescope down the straight pipe, locate the freeze, dig up the line at that spot and thaw it out. But that is not a service that plumbing companies typically perform and is more of a one off not worth the price kind of job.

I agree about the depth of the line being below the frost line by code but if it is abnormally cold the frost line will be deeper and they are not going to install something deeper than absolutely necessary. After the freezepocalypse we had over New Years there have been thousands of underground freeze breaks here in DFW. The temps were not record setting just far below normal for several days straight.

Yes, during most standard home inspections done during the home buying aspect they will run that scope all the way to the meter to inspect the underground pipes. They are expensive as fuck to fix so you really want to know that they are in good shape.

I highly doubt that they camera the domestic water supply line, the waste water sure but even then I have never seen a home inspection do such a thing. If you have something that says otherwise I would be happy to learn something new today.

Finding out if there is a leak in the supply line is easy, look for water running out of the ground or turn everything off and check the meter to see if water is still flowing. Sewer lines can leak for a really long time before everything goes to shit so I can see some value in checking those lines but it is too expensive to do on standard home inspections.

 

[local]

That's an interesting way of doing it then and seems risky. So the actual shut off is actually above ground too at the meter? Normally an outside shut off is actually a very long shaft to the valve that's like 10 feet under. Need a street key to get to it which is basically a long rod when some kind of attachment (think like a socket? Never actually seen one) Then if there's a meter it's in the building.

No generally they are located in vaults at the curb. In North TX my meter is about 1 foot below the surface in a vault with a cast iron cover.

 

[Darwin333]

That's an interesting way of doing it then and seems risky. So the actual shut off is actually above ground too at the meter? Normally an outside shut off is actually a very long shaft to the valve that's like 10 feet under. Need a street key to get to it which is basically a long rod when some kind of attachment (think like a socket? Never actually seen one) Then if there's a meter it's in the building.

No the meter is underground, there is a big metal cover over the hole. It's not 10' down, probably 4 or 5 feet and the shutoff is there too.

So yall have to let the meter reader into your garage every month?