Found 9 results for the keyword(s) ‘Plumbing, Freezing’

• Article

  Vent Stack Ice Capping or Evaporation : I GET SEWER ODOURS INSIDE THE HOUSE OCCASIONALLY IN THE WINTER.

    This is one of those problems that are not dealt with seriously enough by the building officials in really cold regions.  I have opened a blog space at the bottom of this article for you to add in your case history so we can demonstrate that this is a large and continuing problem.  Take a look...
• Article

  What temperature should a house be when you are gone for the winter?

  Jim from London, Ontario is wondering what temperature he should leave his thermostat while he migrates south for the winter. The short answer is 55 degrees F, or about 12 degrees C. That should keep the pipes from freezing, keep the humidity under control, keep the furniture from going through ...
• Article

  OVERVIEW: Frozen pipes: Tracing, thawing, preventing.

  As weather patterns change we are getting longer colder periods than traditionally in many areas of the country -- and with that, more and more complaints of water pipes freezing. Finding the frozen point can be difficult, thawing it can be problematic but if you have done those two, go one step ...
• Article

  How do I unfreeze a frozen hose bib?

  Nav in cold Edmonton, Alberta, writes: "We are trying to build an ice rink in the backyard. Our tap has frozen over and nothing comes out of it at all. Are they any solutions to this problem?"     The easiest way to unfreeze the hose bib is to wrap rags around it and keep pouring boiling wa...
• Article

  How do I keep a shallow Sump drain from freezing outdoors?

  Michael writes from St. Lazare, Quebec : We recently found a nasty surprise with our new house. The land has a high water table and as a result we have sump pump in the basement. The plumbing for this pump was hidden in the walls and ceiling of the basement. When our inspector inspected the home,...
• Article

  Frost Protected Shallow Foundations -- and water pipes

  Frost Protected Shallow Foundations The foundation for a house is generally poured below the soil grade level so that the footing itself is well below the frost depth for any given region and soil type.  This protects the house from frost heaving caused by expanding soils beneath the foundation....
• Article

  MYTH: INSULATING HOT WATER LINES IN HEATED BASEMENTS WILL SAVE MONEY.

  Insulating hot water lines that run through a heated basement or crawl space sounds logical, but in fact it will same you little or no money. The infrequency of their use lets them cool off whether they are insulated or not, and the heat is converted to useful room heat anyway. The exception is ...
• Article

  A bathroom sink on an exterior wall

  Chris in Mississauga wants to put a pedestal sink on an outside wall but is worried about the pipes freezing.You are right to worry, Chris. When we put sinks on the outside walls, we need to run the plumbing pipes on the warm side of all that insulation, which means inside the sink cabinet. A p...
• Article

  Frozen Plumbing in a Cottage Crawl Space

  When pipes go from a cottage down through the crawl space and into the ground, they risk freezing. Simply wrapping them in insulation will not protect them, especially if the wind manages to blow though the fiberglass.Dig down about a foot where the pipes go into the ground. Remove the insulati...