Hot water in master sinks not working

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ChrisJA

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Hello, I awoke this morning to find that the hot water to our dual sinks in the master bathroom are not working...at all! This is only affecting the double sinks however because the shower and separate bathtub are working (and all other hot water faucets in the home are in working order).

It was very cold here in Utah last night and these two sinks are on a perimeter wall but we have another bathroom that lines the same wall and all faucets in there work.

When I turn the cold water on the flow is completely normal but when I turn the hot on there is absolutely no flow, pressure, sounds, etc...the valves under both sinks are turned on and our water has not been turned off in the recent months.

I completely non-functioning when it comes to plumbing and my husband feels that perhaps the pipes froze but that just doesn't seem to be the problem to me.

Any ideas? If it matters, this home was built in 2007 but was never lived in until we moved into the house June of this year. We have not had any plumbing issues until today.

Thank you so much!
 

Gary Swart

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Get some warm air to the plumbing. It sure sounds like frozen pipes. Any pipes on an outside wall are prone for freeze. Just because other pipes escaped, does not rule out freezing at all. It's very possible that by the time you read this, the pipe will have thawed, but if not, get some heat in to the area as best you can. An electric heater blowing into the space under the sink might help, a light bulb is also a good source of heat. It often doesn't take much or long. If this is a continuing problem, you may need to look for a more permanent solution.
 

Jadnashua

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I think the pipes froze. Could get ugly when it warms up. If you are lucky, they didn't split. Heating the water first drives out some of the gasses, and makes the water denser when it freezes, and it seems that water that has been heated ends up freezing faster once it sits in a pipe all night and has cooled off.
 

ChrisJA

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Thanks and another question....

Thanks to both of you. It's now almost noon and still frozen. I put a blowdryer under one of the sinks that is propped and positioned toward the pipe with about 6 inches from the dryer to the pipe. I closed the cupboad but propped it open also with about a 3 inch opening. There is no risk of burning anything as I have removed all from under the sinks and the blowdryer is not touching anything. Do I leave the hot water taps open while I'm trying to heat the pipes?
 

ChrisJA

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Thanks again. From reading this websight I have learned that hot water emits gases that cause it to freeze quicker than cold.

I put the blowdryer under my husbands sink for about 20 minutes and then switched it to my sink. Within 5 minutes the hot water thawed and both sinks are running at full throttle.

Now...

1. We have a finished basement, how do I tell if a pipe ruptured?

2. How do we prevent this again? I've learned some from reading this forum and I'm very thankful for that (thanks again to all the helped me and others). These two sinks take awhile to get hot water to so I'm assuming they are quite far from the main source? Strangely (at least to me) the bathtub right next to these sinks and the separate shower heat up rather quickly. Do I need to inquire with a plumber about a Ready Temp Pump or Grundfos Comfort?
 

Jadnashua

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When you pump water around, you usually end up with some gases disolved in it. WHen you heat it, the gasses come out. Water with gasses disolved in it verses water with less can freeze at different temperatures. ANd, when the more dense water does freeze, it is clearer and harder which means it can expand more than water that has more gasses disolved in it. Heating it doesn't generate more gasses, it drives them out of the water.

Often, fixtures in the same group (i.e., the same room) would normally all take about the same time to get hot. Do you notice a big difference between the summer and winter? It may just be that those getting to the sink run by the outside wall and are colder than those going to the tub, so you have to both flush the cold water out and warm up the pipes before you notice it getting hot.

There are lots of brands of water recirculation systems out there. Some have the abiltiy to utilize a remote sensor, some don't. Some have the pump at one end of the house near the WH, and some put it say under the vanity. WHere ever it is, it needs power. Depending on the layout of your pipes and house, one system may be easier to install, but any can be made to perform the job...some are just easier to put together than others. If there are multiple branches (say the WH is in the middle and branches go both directions), then unless you use a central pump, you may need multiple units, so that would tend to dictate something like the Grunfos system (although RedyTemp has a similar system as I understand it now), but if everything branches off of one line with the WH at the end, if you put something at the end, all the others should get hot pulled very close in the process. SO, it depends...
 
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Gary Swart

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If a pipe broke, you will have a leak, possibly a big one. If the leak is in a concealed location, you may not see or hear it. One one to test is to turn everything off so no water is being used. Then go look at the gauge on your water meter. If it is moving, you have a leak.

As to what to do to prevent freeze ups, you have to determine a way to keep some heat in the area around the pipes. If pipes are laid against an exterior wall, you need to insulate the wall but not the pipes. Remember insulation does not heat, it slows heat transfer. If you can, provide a way to get warm air into the wall cavities. These may be a bit more of a job than you want to attempt yourself, an insulation installer might be a good person to assist. It also may be feasible to reroute the pipes. Every situation has to be evaluated to find the best solution.
 

hj

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frozen pipes

If you have a broken pipe you will have water on the floor, or coming out of the wall someplace. The hot water freezes faster, because the minerals in the water, which would lower the freezing temperature, are precipitated out in the water heater. It has nothing to do with gases, just the relative purity of the water.
 
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