Frozen outdoor spigot

you won't know until it thaws. if it has room for the ice to expand it should be OK. the fact that it was dripping was a good idea. it should be OK.
good luck either way!!!

Thanks for the positive remarks. I wasn't sure that leaving the outdoor spigot dripping was a good thing and then it froze. Hopefully all will be well.

one of mine froze last night and another froze this morning..i didnt have them dripping. so i just took warm water and poured on the faucets. probably took about 3 gallons but both of them unfroze and started flowing normally. i left the one last night running and this morning it hadnt froze back, and the other i left running before i left for work. you might wanna try the warm water, because more than likely they wont thaw until tomorrow at best.

thomaswayne , was you raised in Greenhill ?

nope...but i used to watch a lot of MacGyver

lol I was just wondering , I have a cousin in Greenhill whos name is Thomas Wayne .

I would not suggest pouring hot water on a frozen spigot or pipe!
You may get lucky & have no problems,
but I have seen them bust almost simultaneously!

i have seen them bust as well. best to just let it thaw. if it is metal pipe you are most likely safe. if it is pvc. you won't know until the thaw of '09.

yeah, Baldguy, when your house if flooding

Well it thawed on it's own today and it was fine. ...Just one more night to worry. I wrapped it with insulation today. Has anyone on here had problems with bursting pipes since the big freeze?

I know it is too late once the thing is frozen, BUT home supply places sell an inexpensive little styrofoam cone that secures over outside fawcets and keeps them from freezing. They are well worth it and you don't waste water or stress over frozen or burst pipes.

quote:

Originally posted by Gail-:
yeah, Baldguy, when your house if flooding

Gail- if i am to be your target now please let me know. you can do it in a PM if you would like. whatever. but the opening post clearly states "outdoor water spigot" in the first six words. if the house is flooded. the kids playing in the ice in the yard should be the first clue before it ever reaches the house!!!

Baldguy, as hard as it may be, just ignore her ignorance! People like that only get a thrill when their mouthy redundant gestures get a reaction.
Set your settings to ignore her posts, and its like.......SHAZZAM! She's Gone!
"Ding Dong...The Witch Is Dead" !!

Yesterday morning at 7am all faucets inside were running fine. At 1pm my hot water was frozen up. Water ran from the cold water faucet but nothing ran out the hot water faucet. My hot water heater is located in my laundry room that is seperate from my home and my pipes run to my home from this location. A wise man told to take a hair dryer and blow the hot air on the location where the water lines exited the laundry room. Within 10 minutes, it thawed and my hot water is still running fine. I have diligently kept my laundry room heated so my pipes wouldn't freeze and it still happended.

you have some kind of draft. some small hole where cold air is blowing on the pipes somewhere. i am not a plumber. i have worked for one before. get some of that grey/black stuff and cover the pipes. i have seen a small hole in the wall do this on more than one occasion. if this is not the case. i am sorry. the hairdryer works great. we used to do that as well.

Heat applied to any frozen pipe has the potential to create steam/pressure inside the pipe and at sufficient pressure, becomes a pipe bomb. When you have a location that presents this kind of problem, the best solution is to prepare ahead of the freeze by wrapping the pipe with an electric powered "pipe wrap" heating element on cover that with the "Split pipe insulation" available at hardware and home supply stores. Fortunately, I have not had a frozen pipe, inside or outside in over twenty-five years. Preparation is easier than facing the aftermath on no prep.

quote:

Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
Heat applied to any frozen pipe has the potential to create steam/pressure inside the pipe and at sufficient pressure, becomes a pipe bomb. When you have a location that presents this kind of problem, the best solution is to prepare ahead of the freeze by wrapping the pipe with an electric powered "pipe wrap" heating element on cover that with the "Split pipe insulation" available at hardware and home supply stores. Fortunately, I have not had a frozen pipe, inside or outside in over twenty-five years. Preparation is easier than facing the aftermath on no prep.

That's good advice Shel. I would also add for the outside faucets (bibs) If possible, install a frost free faucet on the outside. This type of faucet positions the valve either deep in the ground or further back into the house to prevent freezing. Also, I like to use fiberglass batting inside the little styrofoam cups that are placed over the faucet. This batting is available at Lowe's or Home Depot for very little money.

bust, fawcet ??? No wonder the south has the reputation it does.

quote:

Originally posted by NYTrooper:
bust, fawcet ??? No wonder the south has the reputation it does.

Yea, we don't speak "Yankee" down here.

quote:

Originally posted by NYTrooper:
bust, fawcet ??? No wonder the south has the reputation it does.

trooper, that wasn't nice & was uncalled for!
Please tell me how you would say it.
Would you say a "Ruptured Faucet" or what??
We all know what they say about Northerners too, but I don't see anyone talking about it.
Besides that, you obviously have a connection to the South, particularly Florence, Alabama,
or you wouldn't be gracing us with your presence now would you.
Did you used to live here, does your mom still live here, or what. Do Tell.

quote:

Originally posted by Smooth operator:

quote:

Originally posted by NYTrooper:
bust, fawcet ??? No wonder the south has the reputation it does.

Yea, we don't speak "Yankee" down here.

Smooth, you were suppossed to say "We don't speak Yankee like YALL do up there!"

quote:

Originally posted by FloTownDown08:

quote:

Originally posted by Smooth operator:

quote:

Originally posted by NYTrooper:
bust, fawcet ??? No wonder the south has the reputation it does.

Yea, we don't speak "Yankee" down here.

Smooth, you were suppossed to say "We don't speak Yankee like YALL do up there!"

I was just fixin' to say that Flo

quote:

Originally posted by Smooth operator:

quote:

Originally posted by FloTownDown08:

quote:

Originally posted by Smooth operator:

quote:

Originally posted by NYTrooper:
bust, fawcet ??? No wonder the south has the reputation it does.

Yea, we don't speak "Yankee" down here.

Smooth, you were suppossed to say "We don't speak Yankee like YALL do up there!"

I was just fixin' to say that Flo

LoL! Great minds think alike!!

quote:

Originally posted by FloTownDown08:

quote:

Originally posted by Smooth operator:

quote:

Originally posted by FloTownDown08:

quote:

Originally posted by Smooth operator:

quote:

Originally posted by NYTrooper:
bust, fawcet ??? No wonder the south has the reputation it does.

Yea, we don't speak "Yankee" down here.

Smooth, you were suppossed to say "We don't speak Yankee like YALL do up there!"

I was just fixin' to say that Flo

LoL! Great minds think alike!!

Any time we are having weather threatening to be freezing, you should bring them inside to keep warm.

quote:

Originally posted by unclegus:
Any time we are having weather threatening to be freezing, you should bring them inside to keep warm.

Yankees or spigots?

quote:

Originally posted by ^PuF^:

quote:

Originally posted by unclegus:
Any time we are having weather threatening to be freezing, you should bring them inside to keep warm.

Yankees or spigots?

spigots!!!! DA*M the yankees!!!!

The correct plumbing term is "hose bib" I however, don't see a problem calling them faucets, spigots, or even hydrants, as long as everyone knows what we are talking about.

quote:

Originally posted by Smooth operator:
The correct plumbing term is "hose bib" I however, don't see a problem calling them faucets, spigots, or even hydrants, as long as everyone knows what we are talking about.

FYI...all 3 of these items can be located on lowes.com.