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pepsigns · 01-19-2016, 07:41 PM

Ok...I am really frustrated.

We are staying in the Tennessee mountains and our sewer line froze with the gray water valve open. I have placed heat tape on the line. I have used Liquid Fire.

Any suggestions as to how to unfreeze in a below freezing temperature?
Thanks!

BigAl · 01-19-2016, 07:48 PM

Would putting the cap on the discharge pipe and hot water with salt work?The solution would fill the pipe at the grey valve and the heat and salt should free it up so that you can close it. then remove the cap. The salt will keep the water from freezing if this doesn't thaw it out.
Al

pepsigns · 01-19-2016, 07:51 PM

The Discharge pipe is completely frozen. It cannot be manipulated. The question is HOW to thaw?
Thanks.

Gsmblue · 01-19-2016, 07:54 PM

I end up in this situation too often.... I used the wife's hair dryer to thaw it out. Great excuse to sit out side with the dog and have a couple of beers. 10mins or so and even in 14F it will thaw out.

Hope it helps.

tevake · 01-19-2016, 08:05 PM

I have put a small space heater under the pluming area to thaw them out. About a half hour does the trick.

Cheers Richard

pepsigns · 01-19-2016, 08:09 PM

Richard,
Do you mean you place the heater in a compartment or outside in the freezing cold on the ground?
Thanks!

DuncanK1 · 01-19-2016, 08:47 PM

Heat from the outside - cover the area and somehow get heat in - hair-drier, space heater, etc.
De-icer and warmth from the inside - regular de-icer/wash will be better than salt (-20deg), and hot water from the inside.
Be happy you are in Tennessee. Here in Michigan you'd have to wait for April!

If you really have to move you could saw through and buy a new sewer line once you drive south to a warmer place. Good luck.

Siegmann · 01-20-2016, 08:46 AM

If you are talking about the discharge line in/at you rig, I just heat water up on the stove and pour into the system from the inside. Only go outside briefly to check if it has opened things up.

If you are talking about the slinky, good luck defrosting that until you can get it into a warm location.

If you want to leave your gray water open in freezing weather while camping, I buy some cheap foam camp pads at Walmart, cut them into strips and wrap them around the sewer pipe and slinky all the way to the dump connection.

mayco · 01-20-2016, 09:15 AM

Blow dryer worked for us but took a while.

J. Morgan · 01-20-2016, 09:20 AM

Get yourself a halogen shop light, 300 or 500 watts, shine it on the pipes. If the pipes are not black, lightly coat them with some spray lacquer first.

Brevi tempore!

tevake · 01-20-2016, 10:12 AM

Yes I've put the space heater under the coach, used a sheet of cardboard opposite to contain the heat in the pluming area.
On the motorhomes there is no Belly pan so this may not work as well on a trailer.
Have a hot shower and pour kettle of very hot water down the toilet.
These are other tactics I've used in dealing with frozen plumbing valves.

Most of all realize I'm a Hawaii guy and have only been dealing with freezing temps for the last two winters and that in N Az. So not hard weather that many are used to dealing with.

Cheers Richard

Jammer · 01-20-2016, 04:29 PM

Be careful, many a fire has started when thawing frozen lines.

I would recommend either a hair dryer or a tea kettle full of boiling water, which then can be drizzled on the outside of the hose.

You can prevent this sort of thing in the future by having the grey water line slope downward to the drain so that there aren't any low areas where water accumulates.

tjdonahoe · 01-20-2016, 07:52 PM

Next Time camp in a warm climate...

Lily&Me · 01-21-2016, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepsigns

Ok...I am really frustrated.

We are staying in the Tennessee mountains and our sewer line froze with the gray water valve open. I have placed heat tape on the line. I have used Liquid Fire.

Any suggestions as to how to unfreeze in a below freezing temperature?
Thanks!

I just had a similar experience, but my tank heater and moving to warmer temps thawed things out and everything is now working properly. My valves were frozen closed, and I couldn't open them to dump.

Once you are thawed out, I would suggest watching your weather carefully and generally not leaving that valve open....particularly in cold weather.

Easy enough to pull it when you need to dump, then you also have some build up of grey water to rinse your hose when you need to empty the black water.

Good luck.

Maggie

pepsigns · 01-21-2016, 06:21 AM

Ok,
We have one of our units thawed. Praise God!
Thank you for all of your suggestions and I have learned about closing the tank.

As for winter camping...we are living in our units while we build a new house.

Moved from Texas to the Tennessee mountains, so riding off into the sunset was not an option, well not without sawing off a pipe or two!

CaptMac · 01-21-2016, 07:00 AM

We also moved to the mountains and stayed in our trailer while we built a home (about 20 years ago) what we did was bought bales of hay and rapped them around the bottom of the unit so no air could get in and packed them around the water and sewer lines about a foot or more thick and we went through the winter without any problems, give it a try

A W Warn · 01-21-2016, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepsigns

Ok,
We have one of our units thawed. Praise God!
Thank you for all of your suggestions and I have learned about closing the tank.

As for winter camping...we are living in our units while we build a new house.

Moved from Texas to the Tennessee mountains, so riding off into the sunset was not an option, well not without sawing off a pipe or two!

You might think about skirting your trailer with straw or hay bales. Don't block the furnace or WH exhausts! You will be more comfortable inside and the pipes will not be exposed so much. There's a lot more winter left.

tjdonahoe · 01-22-2016, 11:07 AM

Yea ! put hay bales around you camper and see how many mice it brings, so buy plenty of mice traps....

TomKirk · 01-22-2016, 11:54 AM

Without doubt, the proper tool for a frozen 3" sewer valve is a hair dryer. I've used a small propane grille with great success as well. But nothing beats a hair dryer for convenience and portability.

But if your sewer valve is mid-ship and inside the belly pan, and if you've got furnace ducting flowing into your belly pan, then you've gotta run the furnace 'til your dump valve thaws out.

Tom

kry226 · 01-28-2016, 04:33 AM

Had this happen to us during the "Polar Vortex" from a couple of years ago, except our valves were frozen shut with full tanks. Low temperatures got down to near zero every night for about two weeks.

We tried just about everything and the frozen valves just laughed at us, especially when one of the valve handles came off in my hand. I finally broke down and purchased a Mr. Heater propane space heater from the local Bass Pro and after about 45 minutes, we were back in business with working valves again. Had to do this one more time later in the week.

But to the trailer's credit, it handled the cold VERY well. The poor furnace almost never kicked off, but nothing ever broke. My wife was especially thankful that we never had to make the "Walk of Shame" to the bath house as many other campers in the campground had to do.