During winter, some owners of manufactured homes get the problem of frozen pipes. Due to a structural problem, sometimes cold air manages to expose pipes and may cause the water inside to freeze. When this happens, the first sign is usually no water when the faucets are turned on. If you have a problem with frozen water pipes under your manufactured home, here is what you should do.
Identify The Problem Area
The first step when it comes to fixing this problem is to get a general idea of where the problem is. By using faucets, you can generally locate the problem area. If you turn on your faucets and notice that no water is coming out in all of them, it means the freeze is in the main supply line. However, if some faucets are working and some aren’t, it means that the problem is in the localized supply lines underneath either the kitchen or bathroom.
You will then need to inspect the areas identified until you find the specific frozen areas. You can do this by tapping with a metallic object. if you hear a hollow sound, it is likely the area that is frozen.
Thawing The Pipes
Once you have located the problem area, the next step is to thaw the pipes. To do this, you can use a number of ways. The first is to ensure that all the faucets are turned on. This is done for a number of reasons. Doing this helps to ease the pressure in the piping system, which could cause the pipes to crack. The force of moving water will also help break up the ice that is blocking the water.
Warm The Pipes
You can do this through several heat sources. The first is to use a hair dryer to heat up the frozen part. You need to be careful, however, because PVC can be damaged by heat. It only takes about 140 degrees Fahrenheit to damage PVC pipes. You should therefore select an appropriate heat selection on your dryer.
Other ways of thawing the ice include using heat lamps, space heaters, or even warm towels. Some of these options have their drawbacks. While heat lamps and space heaters are very quick to thaw any ice, you may struggle to use them due to space issues. Warm towels fit better around piping, but they may take a while to get the job done.
Use Salt
Another method that you can use to thaw the ice is to pour salt down the drain. Salt has the unique property of being able to lower the freezing point of water. This allows the ice to start thawing, and the water pressure will do the rest. However, this method takes time, so don’t be in a rush.
Look For Structural Problems
One possible reason why the water could be freezing in the pipes is due to holes in the skirting. When this happens, cold air gets under your house and into the piping area. This causes the water to freeze. Fixing such a hole may help speed up the thawing process as well as give you a permanent fix to the problem.