Replies

1. 
   jcornell | Dec 25, 2008 12:58am | #1

   Just to add, we are in mid missouri, and this week several nights in single digits with extreme wind chill. I think I can prevent in future, but how to get unfrozen. The walls are ceramic tile and I am now wondering if the freeze started in the soffit and then went into the wall above where I can't get heat to it without tearing out tile. I have removet the plate for the single handle controller allowing a few inches around the nozzle, but can't really get any heat into the area.

1. 
   MikeSmith | Dec 25, 2008 01:21am | #2

   if you finally get it thawed....

    the fix is to make sure the insulation  ( probably rigid foam is best in this case )  is ONLY on the cold side, so the heat from the warm side can  keep the pipes above freezing

    

   i had this problem with customers who slept with the heat off and the windows open

   they never told me about their sleeping arrangements until the bathroom froze up

    

   i finally convinced them to leave the thermostat alone in the bathMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

2. 
   BigBill | Dec 25, 2008 04:18am | #3

   Aim a hairdryer into the gap around the faucet.

2. 
   RalphWicklund | Dec 25, 2008 05:38pm | #4

   You have junk in the line, not ice.

   Try disassembly of fixtures to locate obstruction.

1. 
   jcornell | Jan 06, 2009 10:45pm | #7

   Problem solved, now that I feel like an idiot. Pulled the cartridge, not fun. Dont know how, but the majority of the black rubber side off of the cartridge was sucked down the slot feeding water into the valve. Just enough to grab with needle nose and pull out. New cartridges ($40 each, or should I say ouch) and we have water. Thanks to all.

3. 
   CaptainMayhem | Dec 25, 2008 10:31pm | #5

   got a welder? if the pipes are copper you can just zap them...they rent what are called "thaw boxes" all over the place up here in alaska...but in essence its just a glorified welder..They use that method the most frequent up here

   All I ever wanted in life was an unfair advantage...

4. 
   ajs | Dec 26, 2008 05:37am | #6

   A few months ago I had similar symptoms and wound up with no flow through a single handle faucet. The temperature was well above freezing.

   I back flushed by first turning off the water supply and opening a "bleed" faucet that was closer to the water source than the blocked one. I then back flushed through the blocked faucet with compressed air which forced water, crud, and air through the bleed faucet. It took about six cycles of back-flushing and then running water before the blockage was cleared.

   This doesn't take very long to try, and then you would know.

5. 
   DanH | Jan 06, 2009 10:56pm | #8

   If you get a "trickle" of water then running the water for 10 minutes or so should melt any ice in the line. If that doesn't do it then it's probably not a frozen pipe.

   if it IS a frozen pipe (or you still strongly suspect it) then be sure to examine the area around and below the pipes thoroughly several times over several days for any sign of a leak -- letting a slow leak go for a week could result in some very expensive repairs.

   And "yes" to what someone else said about having the insulation on the OUTSIDE of the pipe area only -- don't surround the pipe with insulation on both sides, but only put it between the pipe and the outside wall. Usually the best insulation to use in this case is foam sheet insulation, since you can get a lot of insulation value into 1-2 inches of space between pipe and outside wall.

   The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel