Thawing water pipes

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Swani
I think our main water line is frozen at our office where it comes in from outside. Has anyone used their TM to thaw out a water line by shoving a smaller line into the water line and blasting it with hot water?
 

Dolly Llama

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if there's a casing around the incoming water line you can get hot water into, yeppers hot water will work

if no casing, use a heat gun.

edit to ask.
city water w/meter or well and pump?

..L.T.A.
 

FredC

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The few times I've had the issue I used a heat gun at the meter (most likely to freeze....but I'm not in Montana
 
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Dolly Llama

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City water. The incoming water line appears to be pex.

if it's coming straight up out of a casing you can see, pour scalding hot water down the casing.

is the shut off valve before meter operable?
if so, you can disconnect the meter to verify if freeze is upstream or downstream of meter


..L.T.A.
 
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Joined
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Swani
if it's coming straight up out of a casing you can see, pour scalding hot water down the casing.

is the shut off valve before meter operable?
if so, you can disconnect the meter to verify if freeze is upstream or downstream of meter


..L.T.A.
It's just coming straight out of the ground with no casing from what I can tell. Looks like whoever plumbed it did a shitty job. I'll try and take a picture and show you how it looks.
 
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Dolly Llama

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old gray polybutylene


there was a YUGE class action settlement over that crap in the early 90's(?)

One of our accounts owned a dozen new condos plumbed with it.
Right from the get-go they had pipe bursts.
Everyone on the street of the first phase (40 units) were popping pipes
The second and third phase 40+40 units got copper

we were out there a couple times a month to fix broken pipes and dry carpets til they replaced all the plumbing

..L.T.A.
 
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@sOOper hero
20210212_213147.jpg
 
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Dolly Llama

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What is Qest pipe?
Polybutylene (PB) was a plastic manufactured between 1978 and mid-1995 for use as piping in home plumbing systems. ... Pipes made from polybutylene were installed in up to 10 million homes in the Unites States during that period.



lta
 

BIG WOOD

MLPW
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What is Qest pipe?
Polybutylene (PB) was a plastic manufactured between 1978 and mid-1995 for use as piping in home plumbing systems. ... Pipes made from polybutylene were installed in up to 10 million homes in the Unites States during that period.



lta
I was told that was pex. Maybe I was wrong
 

Hack Attack

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