On Dec 9, 9:21*am, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message

...





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.

--
Christopher A. Young

Unless the drains were clogged, why would there be any water in them? And
what little is left in the traps would have plenty of room for expansion.
What you need to do is shut off the main water supply valve, and then drain
as much water as you can from the supply pipes by turning on ALL the taps,
especially the one in the laundry sink (in the basement), if there is a tap
down there.

Why is the power off? Reasons beyond the owner's control, or what?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

When water freezes it is solid and not compressible and will expand in
all directions. What normally happens is that continued freezing and
thawing expands the pipe a little each time until eventually it
breaks.

Anything that lowers the freezing point of water will help.