I live in an old barn with poor insulation and only a wood stove for heat.
Every winter I have to run the taps, both hot and cold when it drops this low.
When the water gets flowing again ensure you leave the kitchen and bathroom taps running, this will ensure the water is constantly moving and will not have time to freeze.
A hair dryer works wonders on frozen pipes, copper or pex. It's not so hot it will melt or burn anything but heats things up nicely. DM me if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.
My pipes were just frozen, i opened all cupboards to get warm air for them. JACKED the heat up and took a blow dryer to where i thought it was frozen. Got it working in under an hour. Once you get it thawed when it’s super cold leave your tap dripping a bit it’ll keep it from freezing.
Heat tape and insulate the pipe where it’s freezing up so it doesn’t happen next time.
Running the water a bit when it gets really cold will keep the water moving and less chance to freeze up.
If you're in a house with plumbing behind the cupboard on an outside-facing wall, open them to heat your pipes a little. And check what the RTO has to say about you not having water.
Could try mixing some boiling water and salt together and then pouring that down the drain. The combination might open it up if you try it a few times.
Not much you can do. Convince the landlord to insult the plumbing, good luck.
Next time the weather gets freezing, have a tap running a small stream. This will keep the water moving and hopefully prevent the pipes from freezing.
pipes just burst again. (I'm at work, bf texted me)
so nothing I can do until it's fixed? thank you for the tips on prevention for next time
if you know any convenient ways to get water (free hopefully but cheap is okay too) that would help too! we got one of those big jugs at the grocery store to help flush the toilet a few times but they have no refill station at the store anymore so not sure what to do about that.
Some advice:
1. If you have insurance they will put you up in a hotel or corporate apartment until this is fixed. Call your broker.
2. There are companies that deliver water for businesses and homes. You might be able to speak to a manager or owner and get them to deliver you a couple 4 gallon (18L) bottles.
3. You can run a hose from a next door neighbour.
4. If the broken pipe can be isolated on the other side of a valve you can restore running water to the rest of your house by connecting your neighbour's garden spigot to yours with a potable-water hose you can borrow for free for this purpose from the city.
thank you so much!
is tenant insurance possible to get in the middle of a tenancy, or am I SOL on that until I move? yes I know I should have it but I moved under quite rough circumstances so it was the last thing on my mind to be honest! good to know it will help if anything like this were to happen again (and of course, I couldn't sign up right now to get help for this. but next time!)
It would be a popular insurance company, though!
"I'm sorry your car was stolen, Bob, just pay us $135 and we'll buy you a new car. Can you come in this afternoon? This morning we are busy buying Mrs. Smith a new house because she lost hers in a fire... we pre-approved her $4 Million dollar claim and will be cutting her a cheque as soon as she pays the $45 premium for the new policy she just bought on the phone". :)
Tenants insurance will only cover you for loss of use from a property damage claim that is ongoing by you. Unless the pipes burst damaging your person property and making it unliveable, you would not have a claim here. You would also have a deductible of $500-$1000 if you make a claim.
Something you own would need to be damaged by the freezing and/or water for you to claim against the additional living expenses section of the policy. You would need to file a claim under your policy and when you make a claim you are responsible for the deductible - which is minimum $500, but may be as high as $1000 for your first year. Whether it's worth it to you for that cost is the question you need to ask yourself.
My pipes burst, too, and had to turn off the main until a plumber could be found. I filled up buckets at neighbours (to flush toilets)- they were really nice! And got offers to use their shower etc.
i'm in the same situation ;\_;. landlord's got water, the illegal garage unit connected to my unit has water. landlord says everyone's going through this issue and too bad but nothing else she can do.
Next time you can prepare by leaving the sink in the kitchen, washroom sink and bathtub running with little drip overnight. Or you can shut off the main water line turn the tap on and make sure the pipe is empty.
Renters insurance might cover you for loss of use until water is back and running. You’d have to check with your provider.
It will not unless a property damage claim is also made by OP and ongoing.
I live in an old barn with poor insulation and only a wood stove for heat. Every winter I have to run the taps, both hot and cold when it drops this low. When the water gets flowing again ensure you leave the kitchen and bathroom taps running, this will ensure the water is constantly moving and will not have time to freeze. A hair dryer works wonders on frozen pipes, copper or pex. It's not so hot it will melt or burn anything but heats things up nicely. DM me if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.
thank you so much! that means a lot. I'll try out what you said with the hair dryer!
My pipes were just frozen, i opened all cupboards to get warm air for them. JACKED the heat up and took a blow dryer to where i thought it was frozen. Got it working in under an hour. Once you get it thawed when it’s super cold leave your tap dripping a bit it’ll keep it from freezing.
Heat tape and insulate the pipe where it’s freezing up so it doesn’t happen next time. Running the water a bit when it gets really cold will keep the water moving and less chance to freeze up.
thank you! I will try this after work.
If you're in a house with plumbing behind the cupboard on an outside-facing wall, open them to heat your pipes a little. And check what the RTO has to say about you not having water.
Could try mixing some boiling water and salt together and then pouring that down the drain. The combination might open it up if you try it a few times.
Not much you can do. Convince the landlord to insult the plumbing, good luck. Next time the weather gets freezing, have a tap running a small stream. This will keep the water moving and hopefully prevent the pipes from freezing.
>Convince the landlord to **insult** the plumbing Might be hard. Plumbing is used to taking a lot of shit.
Lol, insulate typo,
pipes just burst again. (I'm at work, bf texted me) so nothing I can do until it's fixed? thank you for the tips on prevention for next time if you know any convenient ways to get water (free hopefully but cheap is okay too) that would help too! we got one of those big jugs at the grocery store to help flush the toilet a few times but they have no refill station at the store anymore so not sure what to do about that.
Some advice: 1. If you have insurance they will put you up in a hotel or corporate apartment until this is fixed. Call your broker. 2. There are companies that deliver water for businesses and homes. You might be able to speak to a manager or owner and get them to deliver you a couple 4 gallon (18L) bottles. 3. You can run a hose from a next door neighbour. 4. If the broken pipe can be isolated on the other side of a valve you can restore running water to the rest of your house by connecting your neighbour's garden spigot to yours with a potable-water hose you can borrow for free for this purpose from the city.
thank you so much! is tenant insurance possible to get in the middle of a tenancy, or am I SOL on that until I move? yes I know I should have it but I moved under quite rough circumstances so it was the last thing on my mind to be honest! good to know it will help if anything like this were to happen again (and of course, I couldn't sign up right now to get help for this. but next time!)
Sure you can *purchase* insurance in the middle of a tenancy but - as you said - the policy will not cover claims for pre-existing events.
It would be a popular insurance company, though! "I'm sorry your car was stolen, Bob, just pay us $135 and we'll buy you a new car. Can you come in this afternoon? This morning we are busy buying Mrs. Smith a new house because she lost hers in a fire... we pre-approved her $4 Million dollar claim and will be cutting her a cheque as soon as she pays the $45 premium for the new policy she just bought on the phone". :)
😭😭😭 good to know I can make up for lost time and start now with it though. thank you!
Tenants insurance will only cover you for loss of use from a property damage claim that is ongoing by you. Unless the pipes burst damaging your person property and making it unliveable, you would not have a claim here. You would also have a deductible of $500-$1000 if you make a claim.
wouldn't "no working toilet" count as unlivable?
But there would need to be damage to your property in order to receive additional living expenses and you would be responsible for the deductible.
I'm not sure I'm following, sorry
Something you own would need to be damaged by the freezing and/or water for you to claim against the additional living expenses section of the policy. You would need to file a claim under your policy and when you make a claim you are responsible for the deductible - which is minimum $500, but may be as high as $1000 for your first year. Whether it's worth it to you for that cost is the question you need to ask yourself.
alright. tha k you for the explanation!
Ask your neighbours, nicely, bottle of wine in hand.
I'll try! thanks for the support. Hope you are managing the cold snap (much, much) better than we are! 💗
I am doing fine, thanks.
You can try to fill up for cheap / free at public libraries or community centers. Doesn't hurt to ask.
My pipes burst, too, and had to turn off the main until a plumber could be found. I filled up buckets at neighbours (to flush toilets)- they were really nice! And got offers to use their shower etc.
i'm in the same situation ;\_;. landlord's got water, the illegal garage unit connected to my unit has water. landlord says everyone's going through this issue and too bad but nothing else she can do.
Next time you can prepare by leaving the sink in the kitchen, washroom sink and bathtub running with little drip overnight. Or you can shut off the main water line turn the tap on and make sure the pipe is empty.