Very cold in Ohio... 25 below... had cold water but no hot water... defrosted hot water line from attic to tank... have hot water in kitchen but no hot water in bathroom. Have the shower valve for hot water open and when I turn on the cold water in the hand sink, water comes out of the faucet in the tub. I turn off the hand sink and the water stops flowing in tub. Ranch style home. What can I do to get hot water to shower?

Quote:

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defrosted hot water line from attic to tank

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Hot water line in attic is still frozen.

When you open the sink faucet, water is not only coming out the spout but it is also going out the hot water line to the shower. Must be a two handle sink faucet with hot side also open.

I actually have the same problem (almost). I'm in Michigan. The pipes to the bathroom froze last night. The hot water is working. The cold isn't. The bathtub faucet won't work unless the sink is on and only then will hot water come out. Also, only when the sink in on, will the toilet tank very slowly fill with hot water. The wind chill was down to -45 here. This is the first similar thing I have been able to find. Whatever it is, it's not normal.

You both need to get heat to the areas where water is most likely to be frozen (temperatures in many regions could rise high enough Friday and Saturday to possibly (accent on possibly) thaw the lines out). In either case, make sure you know where shutoff valves are located in case the pipes were busted with the freeze. Sounds like you both at least have some water which you can put in a bucket and use to flush toilets (provided drains are not frozen) and/or store in tubs maybe. The actual temperature is the primary factor although as Hk has said on another post, wind can cause the house to cool down faster.

FYI: I only have a single handled faucet in both the tub and the sink. However, the washing machine is on the opposite side of the wall. It was frozen at first as well, but is now running both hot and cold. Also,  the pipe is frozen in a wall between the garage and house. I can't get to it. There's an access panel, but it's on the 1st story. The pipes are insulated and then stuffed with insulation where I can see. I'm guessing there's a draft from the attic. I filled my tub with hot water hoping it'd help.


1st story garage/ 2nd story bedroom
http://www.clker.com/cliparts/q/b/B/p/3/c/pipes-md.png


1st story living room
2nd story bath / 2nd story laundry