ashiroff
Jan 2, 2015, 11:19 AM
Hi! Let me see if I can explain this well. I have a hot water pipe in an upstairs bathroom that keeps freezing.
I live in a split level. From the crawlspace, you can see the pipes. The same cold and hot water pipes feed the lower level bathroom, toilet and kitchen sink. The pipes then feed up an internal wall and supply water to the upstairs bathroom. If I am correct, they reach the toilet and then "T" off to the right to feed the tub and the left to feed the sink.
The sink is closest to an external wall. The hot water pipe that directly feeds the sink freezes at 6 degrees Fahrenheit. The cold water pipe that feeds the sink will freeze at below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The toilet (3 feet removed) and tub (6-7 feet removed) just to the right of the sink never freeze.
I opened up the wall behind the sink and have insulated the pipes with insulation foam, have sealed all the cracks that I could see or feel in the wall with spray foam and then filled the rest of the space with fiberglass insulation for good measure. I could feel cold air coming into the space and it was greatly reduced after I did all of the insulation work. I sealed up the wall and re-installed the sink.
Well, it dropped below 6 degrees the other night and it froze again. Again only the hot water pipe.
Inside the wall, the hot water pipe is only 4-6 inches removed from the cold water pipe.
For the life of me, I can't figure out why it is freezing.
Any ideas?
I live in a split level. From the crawlspace, you can see the pipes. The same cold and hot water pipes feed the lower level bathroom, toilet and kitchen sink. The pipes then feed up an internal wall and supply water to the upstairs bathroom. If I am correct, they reach the toilet and then "T" off to the right to feed the tub and the left to feed the sink.
The sink is closest to an external wall. The hot water pipe that directly feeds the sink freezes at 6 degrees Fahrenheit. The cold water pipe that feeds the sink will freeze at below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The toilet (3 feet removed) and tub (6-7 feet removed) just to the right of the sink never freeze.
I opened up the wall behind the sink and have insulated the pipes with insulation foam, have sealed all the cracks that I could see or feel in the wall with spray foam and then filled the rest of the space with fiberglass insulation for good measure. I could feel cold air coming into the space and it was greatly reduced after I did all of the insulation work. I sealed up the wall and re-installed the sink.
Well, it dropped below 6 degrees the other night and it froze again. Again only the hot water pipe.
Inside the wall, the hot water pipe is only 4-6 inches removed from the cold water pipe.
For the life of me, I can't figure out why it is freezing.
Any ideas?