HeyBub wrote:
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Friend of mine, is acting as caretaker for a family member's
house. The power got shut off, and the house is cold inside.
Down to 37, last he checked. Four burneers on the stove for
an hour raises the temp two entire degrees.

Last night, we put RV antifreeze in the drain traps.
Toilets, sinks, showers. We considered the dishwasher. But
that hadn't run in six month or so, and probably the trap
dried out. Washing machine is in the cellar, and should stay
warmer.

For $3.97 that might be a lot cheaper than replacing a bunch
of broken pipes. I got to thinking. On the way home, I
bought myself a jug of antifreeze. Might never need it. But
it might be cheaper than replacing a bunch of pipes and such
if I need it here, or for a friend some day.

I don't understand. How can freezing of water in a p-trap present a
significant problem?


If the p-trap is china or plastic, and for some reason the forming ice
can't expand along the normal water flow path, it can blow out the trap.
Toilets are probably the major risk, and then washing machines and
dishwashers. Picture how a toilet bowl is shaped- if it freezes before a
lot of the water in the bowl evaporates, it is locked into place on the
top side, on some toilets. And in stuff with plastic pumps in the
bottom, there is likely no smooth water path like on a siphon.

One year, one of my saturday jobs was changing the locks and pouring
antifreeze in the toilets on FHA repo houses.

--
aem sends...