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b.rabbit
Joined: 14 Feb 2012
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:54 pm Post subject: No Hot Water? Pipe Frozen? |
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This morning I woke up and thought my water pipes were frozen. I think I tried both sides of the faucet, but maybe I only tried the hot water one.
Either way, it's been a few hours since I last turned the faucet (I kept it on in hopes of noticing a drip when it restarted), but I just checked and now the cold water is working fine.
However, when I started moving the handle toward the hot water side, the water lessens in pressure and then comes to a complete stop. No hot water.
Has anyone else experienced this or know why this happened? I thought it was frozen pipes, but how can it be when my cold water still works?
My ondol has been on since this morning in an attempt to thaw the pipes, but no hot water yet. My boiler is actually located outside in a metal box, so I went out to check it. The pipes attached to the boiler seem to be fine, but it's all wired under the apartment so I can't check anywhere else.
Last edited by b.rabbit on Wed Jan 02, 2013 9:58 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Brooks
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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Well considering the low temperatures, it doesn`t surprise me.
It must have gotten down to -18 C or more last night.
It seems like a cold winter. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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I have the same problem. I guess it's caused by the pipe leading to the boiler freezing?
Sad thing is that I did leave my faucets dripping, but didn't, uh, drip hot water.
The problem pipe is probably outside of your apartment so you should talk with the landlord or whoever handles housing issues for you. I doubt running your ondol will do anything other than heat up the place. |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap
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Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:50 am Post subject: |
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I woke to no tap water this morning, but my ondol was fine. I keep my place cozy so I figured I was immune from freeze-up. Wrong. I'm in a three-unit jutaek & fortunately someone came by today to somehow put it right again. Kitchen & bathroom taps now set to drip 24/7 until this cold snap breaks.
Beyond that, I dont know. |
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CrikeyKorea
Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Location: Heogi, Seoul
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Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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sounds frozen... it has happened to me before.. I went and found the exposed pipes and put on my heater and blasted it for 2 hours and it was sweet... Another time I had to get someone in to fix it, they can steam it or charge the pipes, either way costs about 50,000won. Hot water is often completely separate from cold-so once I had cold but not hot and once neither.. anyway call someone and it will be done in no time. |
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stuey11
Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 12:24 am Post subject: ... |
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Happened to me last 2 mornings, ondol and cold water were fine, just had no hot water, the cold water input pipe to the boiler was frozen. I just opened all the hot water taps in the house, boiled the kettle , then slowly poured boiling water along the frozen pipe. Worked a treat and I had hot water within 30 seconds |
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stuey11
Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 12:24 am Post subject: ... |
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Happened to me last 2 mornings, ondol and cold water were fine, just had no hot water, the cold water input pipe to the boiler was frozen. I just opened all the hot water taps in the house, boiled the kettle , then slowly poured boiling water along the frozen pipe. Worked a treat and I had hot water within 30 seconds |
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ajuma
Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:14 am Post subject: |
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You can defrost frozen pipes using a hair dryer too. |
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b.rabbit
Joined: 14 Feb 2012
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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^that's what I ended up doing. I called my landlord and he said it was the tenant's responsibility when this kind of thing happens.
The guy told me to go outside with a hair dryer and try my luck with the pipes nearest to the boiler. Hot hair on the pipes for 5 minutes and then they started working again. I was so relieved! |
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Brooks
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:10 am Post subject: |
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Well it is not bad.
In Vermont my father would have to pour hot water on the pipe until it would work. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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I've left my heat on continuously during this cold snap to head off the problem. This is the coldest winter in Korea since I've been here. |
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JustinC
Joined: 10 Mar 2012 Location: We Are The World!
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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Weigookin74 wrote: |
I've left my heat on continuously during this cold snap to head off the problem. This is the coldest winter in Korea since I've been here. |
You'd think that would be enough, wouldn't you?
I did - pipe froze; left heating on and a tap dripping - pipe froze; left heating on and two taps dribbling (a continuous, slow stream) - heating turned itself off and water pressure in the hot tap down considerably for a few minutes, I'm guessing the pipe was midst freezing at that point.
So now heating is on and hot and cold taps permanently open and water flowing slowly, but more than just a dribble. I'm expecting to return home one day to a flooded apartment as the outflow pipe freezes. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:40 am Post subject: |
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I hear Daegu has the worst weather in Korea, scorching hot in summer, bone-chilling cold in the winter. |
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Troglodyte
Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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It's due to poor quality construction. I have no idea why so many buildings are built with the pipes in exposed places. I can partially understand that the pipes aren't insulated since Korea doesn't get bad winters every year, but putting the outside? |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:30 am Post subject: |
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Watch out about leaving your taps dripping. The guy who lived above me did that and then the water burst out and flooded his place, which caused a leaky ceiling for me. |
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