Blocked Supply Line?

[Vasteve]

Hi Everyone,

I have an issue with plumbing in my house that I've been trying to diagnose without any luck. Today I called a licensed plumber who wasn't sure what the issue was and the plumber I typical use has Covid19. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Background: There is a water heater in the basement (for a basement apartment) and another water heater that supplies the upstairs.

Issue: The hot water downstairs still works, but none of the hot water faucets work upstairs (different water heater). The cold water works upstairs and also on one faucet downstairs. I suspect a supply line must be clogged that supplies the upstairs hot water heater and the other cold water lines downstairs that aren't working. There isn't any water at all flowing from these faucets.

Frequency: In the past 10 days the water has stopped working like this three times then started working again a few hours later. Currently, it hasn't started working again yet and it has been almost 1 day. It seems to stop abruptly, not just slow down. I thought maybe a pipe was freezing, but this is the first time this issue has ever happened (at least in the past 5 years). It also worked fine then stopped about two hours later (seems too quick for a pipe to freeze).

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[John Gayewski]

Sounds either frozen or something got into your line.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WorthFlorida]

A picture of the top of the bad water heater may help. Many WH's have built in heat traps, a ball that moves and closes off the hot side to slow down the heat from rising and allowing cool water from entering the hot side of the water heater. Possible the ball dislodged into you plumbing or it jet jammed inside the trap. My take is the hot side heat trap is bad.

Here is a link that shows what a heat trap does and there are several ways to add a heat trap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_trap
These are typical heat traps and can be replaced.

 

[Vasteve]

John - So the water finally started working again (Almost 12 hours later this time). It started instantly with water rushing though the pipes. Is this likely the ice melting and letting go all at once or would it be more likely to slowly start with a trickle if it was thawing?

 

[John Gayewski]

John - So the water finally started working again (Almost 12 hours later this time). It started instantly with water rushing though the pipes. Is this likely the ice melting and letting go all at once or would it be more likely to slowly start with a trickle if it was thawing?

Depends a lot. Could be either.

What kind of piping do you have?

 

[Vasteve]

A picture of the top of the bad water heater may help. Many WH's have built in heat traps, a ball that moves and closes off the hot side to slow down the heat from rising and allowing cool water from entering the hot side of the water heater. Possible the ball dislodged into you plumbing or it jet jammed inside the trap. My take is the hot side heat trap is bad.

Here is a link that shows what a heat trap does and there are several ways to add a heat trap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_trap
These are typical heat traps and can be replaced.

Thanks for this response. Do you think this would this stop the cold water lines before the hot water heater from working?

The water heater was replaced professionally about 6 months ago.

 

[Vasteve]

Pipes are copper leading to the water heater and some pvc that branch off before the water heater, which also don't work. House was built in 1950, but some of the plumbing has been updated. The area that it possibly frozen is all copper piping.

 

[WorthFlorida]

It is possible the cold inlet trap is bad. What type of shutoff valve is on the cold water inlet side of the water heater?

 

[Vasteve]

Is there any way to test it? Especially now that its flowing again. There is a 1/4 turn ball valve on the cold water inlet, but it's interesting that you mention this because I noticed originally that the cold supply pipe going into the water heater was getting hot for the first foot or so. Is it possible this could block the other lines that branch off a few feet before entering the water heater?

 

[WorthFlorida]

A ball valve is better than an older washer type stem valve that can dislodge. The heat traps will not block 100% of the heat. What you are probably feeling is heat transfer from pipe itself. Since water is flowing for now, don't fix what not broke but if it happens again, tap the heat trap(s).

 

[Vasteve]

Thanks for the advice. I have a plumber who will start replacing some pipes on Thursday. I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

In Seattle I find that water pipes that are within the footprint of a building have a very hard time freezing. What are the temps in Virginia during the time you've had water stoppage. Usually it happens in attics where the pipe is insulated away from the heat of the building, In crawlspaces where there is no heat and where the pipe is very near the crawl space vent where the cold can blow on the pipe and pipe that is installed on an exterior wall with and insulated away from the buildings heat.

Also, copper doesn't react well to being frozen. Copper pipe can handle a single freeze blockage isolated by itself or spaced apart. But if the pipe freezes in multiple spots close together, the ice expands and adds pressure to the space between the freezes. Since water can't compress at normal pressures, the added pressure must go somewhere, and that somewhere is outside of the pipe in the form of a burst pipe. Water freezing in pipes due to weather generally results in burst pipe.

long way to say that I doubt its from freezing.

 

[Terry]

It got down to 14 degrees F last Sunday in the part of Virginia where he lives when he made the post. That's getting pretty cold.
In the Seattle area, just your normal frostfree hosebib replacements after the Christmas snow and cold here in Seattle. What happens when hoses are left on and not put away.