Frozen Water Main- Help !!!!!!

Mr. Kelleher

Problem:

Water main frozen somewhere on property, the installer didn't install the main at the 4 foot mark. Now we have some serious frozen ground. I need some ideas on how to thaw out the line. The main comes in one inch copper most likely it stops at about ten feet outside the foundation, then it turns to 1" black plastric most likely polyethlene 200 psi. This line could go to 600 feet before it hits the town main, these people have no water, little kids no place to go and no hope until the ground warms up.
What can we do?

Online Sheriff \"Murph\"

600 feet ......

Yeesh !! either hold out till the thaw or get heat to the pipes. sounds like a stretch to deal with, obviousley not gonna use conduction on that, maybe build some tents with tarps then thaw with space heaters the ground on top the pipes. OR else stick in onother pipe a little deeper (G)!!


Anyone else ?/

Murph'

Mad Dog

Bad news bro@!

too late now...how deep is it then? even if its thawed she's probably split in many places anyhow. Temp fix till spring???? Dig out by the Buffalo box and expose your main spur connection...run out a new temp main in 1" pex...heat traced and heavily insulated..fill hole back in till spring run temp pipe on ground....cold out there idn'it???? my steam system keeping this house cozy thoughMad Dog

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Jackchips

Outside chance

the line froze with the ground and didn't break. Try keeping your lines open inside and hope for turbulance to start moving the water-very slim. Temporary line may be the only solution. How close is the nearest neighbor? The heat traced and covered line could work there also if it is closer than the 600 hundred feet of main. Good luck.

Mikes mad pipes

frozen water main

If you can find the curb box, shut off the water buy a brand new water jetter hose and jet it from the inside. Be ready incase curb stop deosn't shut off. Good luck, Mike

ScottMP

All of the above and..

We used an old water main auger once. It was used to ream out old water mains. We heated up the tip red hot and then ran it down the main untill it stopped. Pulled it out and reheated. Then again 600 feet .. ouch.

How about building a tent outside the house and heating it to thaw the gound. Then dig to the copper and get a welder.

Sorry for the customer.

Scott

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D lux_2

if its a block wall it might be the core of the block has let enough draft down its frozen there , try some heat on the block or knock a hole in the block.

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Steve Eayrs

i AGREE W/DILUX

Orr was that delux...whatever. A lot of times the pipes will freeze first, where they come through the wall, floor, or whatever, due to wind chill factor at that point. Also have seen where pipes wil freeze right where they come out of the ground first. Have climbed under things (like not very well insualted trailers), with a heat gun and got it running again. With plastic pipe thats about all you can hope for....sorry.
A question...How deep do you usually bury pipes around there? Did you say 4'? Thats a lot of cold ground frost!!!! We try to stay 6' down up here, and maybe put 2" blueboard over, or go deeper, on areas that are highly compacted, (like driveways, etc.)
Steve