Anyone know where I can get a pipe thawing machine?

[nicemustang]

Anyone know where I can rent or borrow a copper pipe thawing machine? I haven't called around yet but hoping to get a jump on it for the morning. Thanks.

[savage7mm]

wouldnt a heat gun or even a blow dryer work?

[Ken07AOVette]

Not sure what you are doing, but scalding water poured over is the fastest and safest, as long as there is not a short circuited heat tape present

[Got Juice?]

Tiger torch in a piece of metal pipe and let her rip!

That will heat up a space quickly. Please have no combustibles near the pipe, pipe inlet or outlet.

[deanmc]

In the right hands an arc welder works but used improperly..........Poof! No more house.

[nicemustang]

All good ideas. I need a thawing machine. Heres why.

I have hot water radiant heat in my house powered by a boiler. I live in a old 60s house with 2x4 walls and the worst insulation. So its cold and drafty. We've already learned some valuable lessons and we have been good for the last few years. But learned another valuable lesson. Check the batteries in the thermostat! So it stopped and now I have a frozen pipe in the basement. It's always just the basement circuit. Unforunately, everything is finished and I can't use anything else. Last time I called a guy who had one of these heaters, it was good to go in half a day.

Hope that clears it up.

[FishingMOM]

Get a hold of cabertosser he would the man for this job

[nicemustang]

Originally Posted by FishingMOM

Get a hold of cabertosser he would the man for this job

Thanks, but that sounds expensive. Since I'm not new to this, I don't need a $80/hr guy coming out, twice!

[buckmaster]

Originally Posted by nicemustang

All good ideas. I need a thawing machine. Heres why.

I have hot water radiant heat in my house powered by a boiler. I live in a old 60s house with 2x4 walls and the worst insulation. So its cold and drafty. We've already learned some valuable lessons and we have been good for the last few years. But learned another valuable lesson. Check the batteries in the thermostat! So it stopped and now I have a frozen pipe in the basement. It's always just the basement circuit. Unforunately, everything is finished and I can't use anything else. Last time I called a guy who had one of these heaters, it was good to go in half a day.

Hope that clears it up.

Are they copper pipes ?If they are,be careful not warm the pipes to quickly as they may crack/burst.I would probably use a couple of space heaters to thaw the pipes slowly.

[nicemustang]

Actually where it is frozen it is steel pipe. It isn't copper until the actual radiant part.

[Rock Doctor]

Are you running straight water in your heating system? Everyone I know up here runs water/Glycol mix, so it won't freeze even if something does go wrong.

Also, steel pipe can also split if water freezes in it. It would suck to get a leak and have to rip the walls apart and then refinish.

RD

[nicemustang]

It's not a closed loop system unfortunately.

Trust me guys, these thawing units are the bomb. Do a search. A slow heat to the pipe does the trick in no time. I'm not really looking for other suggestions, just wanted to know if anyone knows where I can rent or borrow one. Thanks again.

[CaberTosser]

I presently don't have access to a pipe thawer, but have logged plenty of hours on them. You can usually find them at a rental shop such as AAA rentals or Radars, or such.

When thawing, you should shut off the makeup water feed to the system in case a split makes itself known during the process.

[nicemustang]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

I presently don't have access to a pipe thawer, but have logged plenty of hours on them. You can usually find them at a rental shop such as AAA rentals or Radars, or such.

PERFECT! Thanks, exactly what I needed. Rogers rent all as well?

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by nicemustang

PERFECT! Thanks, exactly what I needed. Rogers rent all as well?

Told ya so.
Cabertosser is the man for this job.
Even if it is just for information

[jts1]

I am sure we have a few miles of heat tape at the plant, They could fall off a truck so to speak no worries. If you would like some let me know. Would stop it from doing it ever again.

[CaberTosser]

Actually I was thinking of Rogers when I said Radars....... or was I? Even Home Depot is worth a phone call.

[nicemustang]

Originally Posted by jts1

I am sure we have a few miles of heat tape at the plant, They could fall off a truck so to speak no worries. If you would like some let me know. Would stop it from doing it ever again.

Thanks, just that I can't get at all the pipes.

[CaberTosser]

If you're interested in adding glycol to the system there are some new ways I like to do it. Being that glycol is nasty stuff ( even the lower tox propylene glycol gets pretty icky after circulating through your system for years) you obviously have to have a means of preventing it from backflowing and entering your domestic water. Usually an RP style backflow preventer is used for this, but they need annual testing and registration with the city. I like to instead use a feed pump with a small tank, which is not at all connected to the domestic water lines; thus no annual testing and 100% safety. The other plus is that if you have a catastrophic failure you only have the volume of the small tank and the system to leak out, rather than constantly feeding the leak from the city water supply.

http://www.axiomind.com/?gclid=CKGam...FRRKgwodWyZIdg

This set up with 50/50 mix of propylene glycol & water and you'll never worry about this happening again.

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by buckmaster

Are they copper pipes ?If they are,be careful not warm the pipes to quickly as they may crack/burst.I would probably use a couple of space heaters to thaw the pipes slowly.

The rate at which they're thawed has no bearing, if they split it has already happened and the thawing process is just revealing whether or not they have, of course in addition to restoring flow/circulation.

[nicemustang]

The steel pipe where it's frozen is the real thick good old time stuff. At 20 PSI, it's unlikely to burst easily especially when the house is still warm with the other zones running.

[gitrdun]

I don't know what a thawing machine is...other then a HermanNelson perhaps, but what about this. Cut the pipe and insert a Tee pipe fitting. On the leg, not the run, put in a hose garden fitting. Then run a garden hose from the hot water tank to the leg. Of course, you'd have to put a ball valve on the leg to shut it off when the problem is resolved. Don't know if that makes sense or if it'll help, but I'd think I'd just throw in my handy man 2 bits at you. Good luck.

git

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by gitrdun

I don't know what a thawing machine is...other then a HermanNelson perhaps, but what about this. Cut the pipe and insert a Tee pipe fitting. On the leg, not the run, put in a hose garden fitting. Then run a garden hose from the hot water tank to the leg. Of course, you'd have to put a ball valve on the leg to shut it off when the problem is resolved. Don't know if that makes sense or if it'll help, but I'd think I'd just throw in my handy man 2 bits at you. Good luck.

git

With an ice plug the water will have nowhere to go to release its heat. Along those lines though, one can install a tee and ball valve, and then feed a 3/8" or 1/4" piece of poly tubing adapted to the end of a garden hose, and attached to a hot water supply (clothes washer), the line can be fed in and the ice blockage jetted out, the line being quickly retracted and ball valve shut and capped when flow is achieved. When doing so, shut off any makeup water feed as well as the boiler gas supply prior to the jetting procedure. I've jetted water mains as well using this same procedure; one of which was McMahon Stadium north end; we used a pump to pressurize the hot water in their own water heater (which had no feed due to the frozen main).

This method does mean water will be spilled at the same rate its jetted in, so that limits it in some applications,, unless you have a person manning a shop-vac catching the overflow.

[gitrdun]

Well Caber, sounds like FishingMom gave the right advise. Sounds like NiceMustang ought to call Caber, and not worry about the hourly rate, 'cause it could cost a lot more in the long run.

[walley'd]

sounds like your stat is controlling a zone valve which ''fails'' into the closed position which closes the valve allowing no flow into the rad fin. zone valves will fail if stat is broken(or no power) or the actuator (usually a small metal box) on the zone valve fails. sounds like you have a ''normally closed'' valve, which closes when failure happens. a ''normally open'' valve is better which fails open, still allowing heated water to flow. wouldn't recommend glycol unless your piping or radiation fin in in an area which is exposed to the outside like a sidewalk snowmelt system. like stated previously gets pretty messy also the proper disposal of either used propylene or ethylene glycol isn't free. hope this is helpful

[duffy4]

Originally Posted by jts1

I am sure we have a few miles of heat tape at the plant, They could fall off a truck so to speak no worries. If you would like some let me know. Would stop it from doing it ever again.

That looks like stealing to me. Do you often steal from your work place? I hope no one from there is reading this forum.

[crawfy]

Home depot has quite a rental department also.

[NBFK]

Originally Posted by duffy4

That looks like stealing to me. Do you often steal from your work place? I hope no one from there is reading this forum.

Its called a safety award actually. Just a perk from working in a plant.

[FishingFrenzy]

Originally Posted by duffy4

That looks like stealing to me. Do you often steal from your work place? I hope no one from there is reading this forum.

Great addition to the thread!!!

X2 on the home depot rental department, always worth a try.

[Sneeze]

Rent a welder and hook that baby up.

Keep a fire extinguisher handy and let er rip.

When you get it thawed out stick around your house for the rest of the day to ensure no fires.