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-   -   No Water At All In House (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=54548)

  • Jan 14, 2007, 08:36 AM
    Orion99
    No Water At All In House
    My wife and I woke up this morning to no running water at all in our house - as a matter of fact, no water flows from the water bib at the front of the house where water enters the house. We live in Phoenix and did have a very cold spell last night, so I suspect a frozen pipe between the house and the main city line. The strange thing is that both of my neighbors on either side of me have full pressure coming out of their water bibs. To make things even more interesting, our hot water heater tank in the garage is completely empty (I discovered this by tapping on it only to hear a hollow echo and when I fully opened the valve at the bottom of the tank, I only got a few dribbles to come out).

    Any help would be appreciated... I guess I could wait until mid-afternoon to see what happens, however it seems very strange that my house is the only one affected and that the hot water heater drained itself.

    Thanks in advance!
  • Jan 14, 2007, 09:33 AM
    letmetellu
    By now your water has probably thawed and you have running water. But if it has not or at least in the future you will know the answer. I would guess that your water meter has frozen because it is the most exposed part of your water line. I don't know how far you meter is from your house but if it is close enough to use an electric cord that will reach it use your hair blower to blow heat into the meter opening, this should put enough heat in the box to melt the ice.
    I feel like your water heater is still full of water, you just could not get any water out of it. If you do not have pressure to push the water out of the water heater is will remain full.
  • Jan 14, 2007, 09:38 AM
    Fr_Chuck
    You you need to check the meter, to see if it is spinning out of control, with water leaking either underground ( broken pipe) or under the house.

    This will let you know if there is a more serious issue that needs to be dealt with quickly.
  • Jan 14, 2007, 03:05 PM
    Orion99
    Thanks to you both for your replies.

    letmetellu - you were correct about the hot water heater... it was still full, but without any water pressure nothing was coming out.

    Fr_Chuck - thank you very much for the advice regarding checking the meter. Mine was fine, however I checked my neighbor's and his was spinning - and he wasn't home this weekend. It turns out he has a broken valve outside his house which I was able to shut off.

    I didn't think I would need to worry about frozen pipes here in Phoenix (having spent all my life in the midwest).

    Thanks,
    Gary
  • Jan 14, 2007, 03:44 PM
    speedball1
    Do you have water pressure now or is it still down? Tom
  • Jan 14, 2007, 08:40 PM
    Orion99
    I have water pressure now. We are in for another cold one tonight in Phoenix (27 deg F). I have wrapped my outside bibb plumbing in pipe insulation and have turned the spigot on so that it produces a drip stream. I also have several faucets inside dribbling as well. I'm crossing my fingers...

    Thanks,
    Gary
  • Jan 15, 2007, 08:12 PM
    dejavue
    Im not sure if you have city water or well water but I have well and the same thing just happened to me. Come to find out it was the water pump that went. Apparently it keeps the water going to the house. It cost 1200 bucks to get it fixed. I hope yours was just a frozen pipe. Good luck

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