You are the RUclipsrs that I can relate too! I'm a 79 year old widow living in NC with my son and occasionally my daughter and full time with my two almost grown grandsons. I'm owning up to most of the stupid things that I manage to do every so often! I tell them "well I did it again!" Then we fix whatever the problem is at the time! There's so many large things in our country going wrong that the things that go wrong here are just not as earth shaking as they once were! Don't sweat the small stuff!
I am the oldest of 4 "boys". I am 78 now. I got married my senior year of college and prior to the marriage, my parents made clear that we best be able to afford it as we were not living with them. After graduation we moved 400 miles away, so no issues. My next younger brother moved out and back in twice before my parents changed the locks on the door, and mom told him he better get his own wash machine. We raised our two with them knowing once they leave they are gone and no coming back with kids. After college they too move a long way away. Now the daughter chose to get a divorce with four daughters and found a great work from home job, and we drive the 400 miles to visit/ babysit when she has to go to 3 a year meetings. Our son lives 300 miles away and we visit several times a year. We would like for them to be closer but we like to travel and we probably couldn't keep our cool if they lived in as neither of us are very patient. You must be a saint!
I live the same way you do. Hot water with heavy salt mixture! I also dump anti freeze in my drains after each use. Also made a 2” foam box around my pipes that has also helped. Just ideas I have done in the 10yrs off grid.
You two are so special together. Together you can do just about anything. I like how you keep it real. Everybody has moments in time where everything doesn’t go perfectly. We all learn from each other. So glad Jen bought you that comfy recliner to relax in after being out in the cold. Have fun guys! My husband and I have a cabin in the Minnesota woods that is run basically off a generator, wood stove, gas stove etc. it is a recreational property. Love watching your videos. You say you don’t teach people things but please know that you do. By you telling people when you do make mistakes, everybody can avoid doing that particular mistake themselves. Yay. Take care. Also love, love, love your dogs and how well you care for them.
Ive been following along for a while. I'm an old guy, 75 in a month. I just wanted to say to Jay, good job keeping your cool. Make sure you don't ever take it out on your lady. Life is so short and precious. She is a sweet lady, and your love is real and rare. We all men get hot headed sometimes, but we can't blow up on our ladys . Just have to walk away or cool off if it gets that bad. Sorry, I just used to make that mistake when I was younger, and luckily for me I have a wife who always understood it wasn't ever personal. Of all the regrets I have, those one hurt me the most where I said something or swore out of anger. Anyway, love your stuff ! Keep on keeping it real.
So glad you got the pipes u thawed , I'm in Canada and sadly I've been battling my pipes in my house as well once temps hit -10c not sure what that is in f for you guys .. I need to let my taps run open at least a trickle from both and my pipes are even wrapped with heat wrap and they still freeze sucks I will be some glad once warmer temperatures are back . Stay warm guys ❤
WOOHOO! Glad to see it's fixed without burst pipes, etc. It's been really cold in Indiana and I wake up every morning & check the water, etc to make sure nothing happened. I hope saying that didn't just jinx me BUT we are going to see a big warm up, so I should be ok. Hope y'all get a warm up too.
Well, I know you both know how to use an outhouse. So, if worse came to worse, I know you could have easily survived it until you pulled out the drain lines; brought them inside to thaw and then reinstalled them. Atleast that's what we did when I worked with my Dad in the winter thawing trailer houses. Then piled the snow against the skirting to seal it up from wind to help insulate the area. Thanks for the play by play real life drama Jay and Jen. Love your channel! 🎉
Something I've done before when using a torpedo heater is, point it into a old stove pipe to carry the heat where I need it. That way the open flame is away from the expensive stuff. Good luck with the thawing process.
Just had that problem with my RV sewer pipe. I had to use a heater for 4 hours. Then I the wrap the sewer pipe with that Double Reflective Insulation. You can get it at Home Depot. That was 3 days ago. We just got 8" of snow. No issues so far. Works Great!!
Hey there, decent trick we learned for big cold snaps and vulnerable pee traps.. sprinkle a good bit of salt down the shower pee trap so it dont freeze during the cold snap if no one showers. With enough salt water dont freeze. Its helped, nothing worse than all your systems start acting up and its negative temps
i am on a cistern that supply's water from the crawl space, i use "heat tape" along the supply and drain lines but only power them when it is below freezing. So far it has worked with outside temps to -38f two nights here in Montana.
I was raised and still live in upstate NY, when I was a child I learned from my Mom some things that kept pipes from freezing, keep the warmth inside your home, by covering windows with insulated coverings, always leave cabinet doors open under sinks or anywhere on outside walls, in rooms that are hard to heat use small lamps with 100watt bulbs as close to pipes as you can safely put them, and yes heat tape is great when temps are freezing, especially in high wind. I used all these for thirty years in our home and only once did we have an issue, when we had a straight week of below zero weather and loss of power, and even then it was only in our master bath, located at the end of the house on the windy side. It may not always work, but it sure does help! Good luck and stay safe!
In the 18.5 years since I've moved back home, I have only had my pipes freeze one time and that was due to an error that the x did after installing a new water heater. I remember what I need to do to keep my pipes from freezing. In the single digit temps and below, even with heat tape, I open all cabinets under my sinks and let water drip in all faucets. I live in a mobile home and take no chances on pipes freezing! Hang in there. We are going to have these sub-zero temps through the first week of Feb. here.
We live in a camper in northern PA and our solution to our above ground water hose feeding the camper is wrapped in pipe foam noodles with an extension cord style RV hose heater element jammed in the foam run over 100' is exposed to your same temperatures and no issues. I would install one of those elements and wrap the pipe under there and only plug the cord in on the coldest polar vortexes as extra insurance. Unless you dont mind a wide open pee trap accumulating all that water into the soil inside there, even the pee trap hole COULD begin to plug over time if it stays cold enough
Here in the UK my Water filters all froze and cracked earlier this month ;( was a costly freeze to be without water! Moved to Big Blue Filters now so hopefully they wont freeze aswell! Good luck guys, hope no other dramas!
Pesky p-traps, pain in the ass but something that’s needed, at least you got it sorted Jay, now go and get warmed up, stay warm guys 🫶🏻, tfs x Julie 🇬🇧
Uggh frozen pipes is something I thought I would never have to worry about again! 😂 In our old farmhouse we would sometimes have to let the bathroom tap drip at night or we'd have frozen pipes in the morning. Too long a story to explain why. Lol. Never thought drain pipes would be an issue! I feel for ya. That was tough! Great job Jay! And JEN for being a champ and dealing with his irritability. Lol. I can also relate to that although I'm not near as patient! 😂😂😂❤❤❤
When it's that cold You got to do your best to stay warm and keep the water flowing . Been there when we lived outside of Cleveland Ohio in a Old Farmhouse . For 33 years . Quite the challenge as I got older ,Heated pipe wrap for pipes in the basement , Space heater going in basement . Wood Stove going constantly.Good luck Guys .
Jay and Jen, I live up here in Northern New Hampshire where it gets extremely cold in January, My house is over 200 years old and not very well insulated. With that being said I’ve had to rely sometimes on an electric heat gun. I now have a DEWALT cordless heat gun and it works fabulous. I highly recommend you try that as a backup.
Go get your torpedo heater and blast it in there for a while to thaw it all out. Get rid of traps and install one way valves that completely drain and then close off to prevent backups and smells.
Exactly what I was going to suggest, I've used them with good venting at my power room in bad weather thing's charge great at 72° good luck. Jet heaters worth there weight in gold.🤠
Ah, the frozen P-trap.....this can happen almost in any home. While living in Santa Fe, I had helped a girlfriend on her trailer and we installed fire wire / snow melters (300watt string) and enclosed the pipes in black flexible drainage pipe with expanding foam on all of the vulnerable locations and that did the trick. Gary from SE MI
Same cold here in Boston NY ! I am off grid hear in small home as well. I fing when done running water when super cold pouring a small amount of pink RV antifreeze works well. What you can do for better fix is put heat tape for water lines in P trap thein insulate it . With the heat tape their is a telp controller you can plug into . turns on under 32F . It will use a small amount of power but you can put on switch as well. When propane gets real cold it wants to stay a liquid in tank and not evaporate. Just try to keep tank somewhat warm is all you can do . Stay warm !
We feel your pain , we have a frozen water line outside as well , we are expecting another arctic blast on Friday the 15:1015:10 31st of January. Hang in there guys
Glad you got fixed it... Some or the RVers put a Diesel heater under there trailers to keep the water tanks from freezing. I noticed you also have one of those. Good luck I'll be watchin' ya.
We were living in our RV in Bellaire early 2000 and had our sewer and drains freeze. Did same thing, put a torpedo heater under it and finally thawed it out
Jay use a cheap diesel heater for the crawlspace , only if it’s very cold , that what I do hear in Alberta at -22f it works like a charm ! Cheers buddy
I suggested this when they got the diesel heater for the little cabin. Figured they would be able to have a tank of water under there too so they could have running water during the winter. Ah well, it is the adventures that keep life interesting. Glad they got through it in fine form:-) Maple Syrup season is coming quick!
Added expensive but flush out the water with windshield washer fluid. It cheaper than antifreeze but helps. If you leave that cap off or loose your going to have a skating rink under your cabin at those temps.
Where I live in TN we let our water drip to keep things from freezing. Wrapping the pipe with insulation and heat cable works. It only comes on when it is cold so you can leave it on all year.
We have glow collars as well each dog gets a different colour. One red the other green they seem to be the brightest colour. That way we know who is who .
Great video guy's ! Yes aways fixing in the cold looks like you need something that can keep a little heat under the cabin, Maybe hook up a small electric heater & let the solar keep it warm ? Hope you get it so it don't keep freezing :) It's a good thing I built mine on a foundation & my wood stove going all the time I never have freeze ups :) Take care stay warm
When we lived in a mobile home in Wisconsin we wrapped our pipes with heat tape and kept the tape plugged in during the winter months. 25 feet long for under $30 from Amaon and inexpensive to operate.
Hi from Marie in Alberta, Canada. Wi ter in the prairies here is often in the -40 range with wind chill making it even colder, and -40 is the same in Fahrenheit and in Celcius so which one we're using doesn't matter at this temperature. I live in a mobile home so I have a crawlspace for access to my water lines, septic, electrical cable, and the connection of the natural gas pipes to my hot air floor level furnace. The foil lined insulation on the exterior walls of your crawlspace is a good necessity and ,obscure resistant so not going to sweat from condensation in temperature fluctuations. My plumber wrapped freeze guard heat tape in a layer of wrap for extreme temperatures around my water lines and added freeze guard flail for the septic and a thermostatic control. The heat tape for water lines is available from 3 watts per foot to 12 watts per foot on Amazon. I've never see the flail so you may need to ask your local experts or a supplier in m Your more extreme regions like Alaska that has temperatures in the-50s, even colder in Fahrenheit than in Celsius below -40s right now. My mobile home is 65 feet long and has water lines the full length so the heat tape and flail. Each uses 700 watts and is a plugged in a weatherproof GFCI plug-in so if moisture gets into them it shuts down to prevent damage to the electrical system. I use separate outdoor plug-ins with protective covers and I have 2 inches of exterior foam insulation with sheet metal siding bonded on both sides, that adds another R20ish on my 1978 mobile home that has 2 inch by 3 inch kiln dried .ightweight but really effective framing and was rated R11 by the manufacturer in California. I'm adding double pane windows to make 4 panes too. Even with all the extra insulation and windows, a plastic film greenhouse addition along most of the north side, the floor was still cold and with my water lines mostly on the floor along the exterior walls inside the cupboards, behind appliances, and under the bath, they were still freezing any time whenever the temperature dropped below -25 around a week. I had an outlet in the GFCIs available still and my plumber said I could add up to 700 watts to the one for the water lines if I wanted to add a thermostatically controlled electric freeze guard electric heater set to that wattage. I put it as close to main area for the water lines and septic where the plumber recommended. That decreased the frequency of the frozen water lines to 2 or 3 times severals days at a time, still inconvenient. At this point I debated between insulating the floors or redirecting so e of the heat from the furnace into the crawlspce. Most of my heat ducts were centrally located and three walls had a heat duct on each side so the wall got quite hot and the plumber and me too were concerned this could become a fire hazard. I cut a ho.e the size of a dryer vent through the floor, fiberglass insulation, and cardboard type of fiber board covering put a sturdy screen on the end to prevent rodents and insects from coming ip through the connection to the duct through the metal adhesive tape. The floors in the living room and master bedroom at the ends of the mobile home are still a little chilly to bare feet around -50s, so I still have to keep the freeze guard heater, heat tape, and especially the flail which is the one that is still vulnerable to in ground permafrost creeping in from under the ground due to the narrowness of a mo ile home and I don't have a heated cement pad or geothermal system. I pay rent for the lot I have my mobile home is on so I can't make permanent installations that would be difficult to remove or require maintenance, so finishing the windows and increasing the insulation in my floor that is still the original build are my next steps. I saw you didn't have anything wrapped around your pipes so if you manage the electrical usage I would start there. Good luck!
GLAD to know you 4 are surviving the cold we’ve been hearing about - and forecasted for the next WEEK!!!! You probably already have such a list - like a pilot preparing for takeoff - WINTER PREP. If so, you’ll just be adding “Remember CAP”. Otherwise…….🖌 You guys are so dang busy. Next year you can PRETEND you forgot where the sled is (for suspenseful content 🥶), but you’ll have written down where you stored it 🤣😂😅. 💚 -V Stay Warm
Hey there you all. Bc the diesel heaters are so effand inexpensive maybe you will consider getaway diesel heater and keeping the crawl space warmer about 40°F so that the water for the cabin will never freeze. You can used dryer vent to get the heat across the area from one end to the other and create dampener to get the warmth across the whole space... Just a thought. Hope that gets fixed soon.
Awesome adventure, lessons learned for all of us. You may already know this, but maybe investing in a "Pipe Heating Cable" for the future at the cost of some electricity would be safer than the torpedo. :) Thanks for sharing!
Life is an adventure!!! The LORD allows circumstances to draw us to Himself. He loves us and helps us when we cry out to Him. Praying for you guys. It's not easy but Praise the LORD pipes were not busted. We all forget to do things at times, especially as we get older, so don't be upset with yourself. God's grace is sufficient for you. Praise the LORD you got things going again!!! God bless you guys
Stacking straw bales around the perimeter of the cabin might help keep cold out and warmth in, plus it's past due to wrap those pipes with insulation. Glad it got thawed.
I have three of these PRO-COM Propane Heaters in my cabin and they work really well. One is a 28,000btu and the other two are 15,000btu's. They are my secondary source and I also heat with wood. My cabin is in the catskill mts.
Haha I can totally understand frozen pipes up there on the hill, but I live in housing and I have frozen kitchen pipes. Not sure about the shower. 😮. It's been cold here in the single digits. I don't miss all those years of frozen water and broken pipes. Not fun at all. My husband had to do all the nasty work under the trailer in the cold. I'd rather do the wood stove any day even though it was outside. Hope you got it fixed! 🙏
The propane issue is most likely water vapor freezing out of the tank or appliance. The ice then gets stuck in the worst place. It will go away or take everything instead to thaw and drain. Is your plumbing PVC or schedule 40? Both melt, but sched 40 is tougher. You can run heat tape on your pipes from drain to septic for emergencies. OR you can build an insulated utilidor for your pipes. OR you can fix the problem. And not run the pipes outside insulated space. If you run drains just under the level of the framing, it won't take much to insulate around them. Then you only have to worry about the transition from floor to septic. Again, heat tape, insulation and a sealed box! A Redi heater (torpedo heater?) Multifuel jet engine, just get cheap stovepipe and a couple of elbows. It fits right over the output and elbows help you direct the heat while leaving the heaving dragon outside. This set up also works great on frozen cars 😊. Trust me, this ain't an emergency, just happens. Whole life in Alaska. Middle Alaska. Where cold is real. Caution: think about what would happen if you had 10 ft of pipe totally iced up. Then you heated a section in the middle to where the water boiled inside. 😮
years ago i lived in a mobile home.I hated the undernieth freezing all the time.I nstalled electrical heat wraap tape on certain drain areas.These days you can buy it with a thermostat built in that turns the heat on only when it gets below a certain temp.Or just install a heat lamp under it with a thermostat switch outlet set up
The drain hose on a camper is 3.5" or 4" in diameter. If you leave the valve open so water drains slowly and constantly they will freeze shut quickly, but the valve will freeze if you don't. Heat tape wrapped closely, then covered in insulation is the best solution when temperatures get below 20 degrees. The best short term solution is to use a large pot instead of the sink when really cold, then toss it out when finished. Ice builds up over time, so using the drain as little as possible, then with as hot of water as you can use.
brr... hopefully you will have warmer weather, it's finally been about 45 here.. our lows were -6 . Back in 2022 winter we had -22! there is a special type of p trap you can buy that isn't supposed to freeze off amazon, called BV1B/UB HepvO Sanitary Waste Valve - 1-1/2". I've not personally used them yet but another person here in KY has. Love the pups collar.
Crazy as its over forty degrees here in central alaska. Next week its going to be minus temps again and nothing but ice everywhere. I hope you remain okay and we all forget stuff so its not a damn you Jay thing. Of course I swear a lot, just me living alone here.... did figure out tho what I am going to get myself for a birthday/christmas and probably few others.,. a E trike so I can get out and go places.. hit on chicks
It's been below in Minnesota too. What if you made some insulationed boxes to go over your pipes or wrap them up. I know the wind has been crazy. We use to put a treble light in our pump hose to help water from freezing. Just think 3 months lift till it stays above freezing.😊
I used to have some aircraft landing light sealed beam units, at 28v 250w these were simply a fabulous beam of heat and light, probably hot enough to melt plastic pipe. There is also a mains electric trace heating tape for wrapping round metal pipes that's more limited in both heat and likely damage. I'm certain that this exists in 120v units as well as our 240v but both need electricity. Add lots of pipe lagging and some foil or tar paper to keep the heat in and stop the wind cooling your pipes, that 2" ish pipe could be 6 to 12 inches diameter with added insulation. Add insulation and a moderate heater and your problems could be over.
Just a suggestion as you get a little older I would do what I did when developed some back and age problem I build a nice along side of the. Home a small shed like room maybe 6 x6 to house and insulated to be Able to get all those under house utilities so you don’t need to crawl under and also wrap some insulation around your pipes it will save a lot headaches. Think about on your colander what needs to be done on your wall to make sure you do for winter it always happens in winter and holidays lol
A suggestion - purchase a diesel torpedo heater and put it in the crawl space - careful where you point it. My son has a 32ft 5th wheel in which he is living while he builds a house on our property. He had a frozen pipe problem and the torpedo heater solved the problem. His heater has a temperature control and he set it to 40F. Pipes tend to freeze at about 10F - he turn on the heater and it runs maybe for 2 minutes every 20 minutes when the outside temperature is 0F.
You are the RUclipsrs that I can relate too! I'm a 79 year old widow living in NC with my son and occasionally my daughter and full time with my two almost grown grandsons. I'm owning up to most of the stupid things that I manage to do every so often! I tell them "well I did it again!" Then we fix whatever the problem is at the time! There's so many large things in our country going wrong that the things that go wrong here are just not as earth shaking as they once were! Don't sweat the small stuff!
I am the oldest of 4 "boys". I am 78 now. I got married my senior year of college and prior to the marriage, my parents made clear that we best be able to afford it as we were not living with them. After graduation we moved 400 miles away, so no issues. My next younger brother moved out and back in twice before my parents changed the locks on the door, and mom told him he better get his own wash machine. We raised our two with them knowing once they leave they are gone and no coming back with kids. After college they too move a long way away. Now the daughter chose to get a divorce with four daughters and found a great work from home job, and we drive the 400 miles to visit/ babysit when she has to go to 3 a year meetings. Our son lives 300 miles away and we visit several times a year. We would like for them to be closer but we like to travel and we probably couldn't keep our cool if they lived in as neither of us are very patient. You must be a saint!
Wrap the P-trap with heat tape and insulation. Turn on only when temps get below 32° under cabin.
@dougvalkema4762 I had a couple guys use heat tape on pvc pipe. It is to hot. It will melt the pvc. Unless he can find a less hot heater.
Then use copper then plastic after p-trap
I live the same way you do. Hot water with heavy salt mixture! I also dump anti freeze in my drains after each use. Also made a 2” foam box around my pipes that has also helped. Just ideas I have done in the 10yrs off grid.
You two are so special together. Together you can do just about anything. I like how you keep it real. Everybody has moments in time where everything doesn’t go perfectly. We all learn from each other. So glad Jen bought you that comfy recliner to relax in after being out in the cold. Have fun guys! My husband and I have a cabin in the Minnesota woods that is run basically off a generator, wood stove, gas stove etc. it is a recreational property. Love watching your videos. You say you don’t teach people things but please know that you do. By you telling people when you do make mistakes, everybody can avoid doing that particular mistake themselves. Yay. Take care. Also love, love, love your dogs and how well you care for them.
Good job Jay. I'm glad Jen is laughing instead of crying.
She’s always laughing 😂
@buckguy7684 yes! Life is short. More laughter is needed. Thanks for watching!
She's a real catch a trooper.@@buckguy7684
Ive been following along for a while. I'm an old guy, 75 in a month. I just wanted to say to Jay, good job keeping your cool. Make sure you don't ever take it out on your lady. Life is so short and precious. She is a sweet lady, and your love is real and rare. We all men get hot headed sometimes, but we can't blow up on our ladys . Just have to walk away or cool off if it gets that bad. Sorry, I just used to make that mistake when I was younger, and luckily for me I have a wife who always understood it wasn't ever personal. Of all the regrets I have, those one hurt me the most where I said something or swore out of anger. Anyway, love your stuff ! Keep on keeping it real.
I am very lucky indeed. Thank you.
So glad you got the pipes u thawed , I'm in Canada and sadly I've been battling my pipes in my house as well once temps hit -10c not sure what that is in f for you guys .. I need to let my taps run open at least a trickle from both and my pipes are even wrapped with heat wrap and they still freeze sucks I will be some glad once warmer temperatures are back . Stay warm guys ❤
Way to go guys ! I knew you would get it ! Another win for Jay & Jen ! You two are awesome and a great team !
Thanks so much!!
Cold everywhere was 14 this morning in southern Idaho but no snow ⛄️ keep warm
WOOHOO! Glad to see it's fixed without burst pipes, etc. It's been really cold in Indiana and I wake up every morning & check the water, etc to make sure nothing happened. I hope saying that didn't just jinx me BUT we are going to see a big warm up, so I should be ok. Hope y'all get a warm up too.
Hang in there Jen. Praying for y’all that Jay gets it fixed and yall find a way to keep it from happening again
The perils of winter.
Glad you got it I thawed.
I like the words on Jen's shirt😊
Happens to many of us!! Glad you got to it in time!! Stay warm
Thanks!
Thank you so very much for supporting our channel!
Well, I know you both know how to use an outhouse. So, if worse came to worse, I know you could have easily survived it until you pulled out the drain lines; brought them inside to thaw and then reinstalled them. Atleast that's what we did when I worked with my Dad in the winter thawing trailer houses. Then piled the snow against the skirting to seal it up from wind to help insulate the area. Thanks for the play by play real life drama Jay and Jen. Love your channel! 🎉
Jay, I knew you’d fix the problem you’re good at that kind of stuff. I hope it don’t freeze again try to stay warm. Thanks for sharing.❤
Jay put salt in the draens
Something I've done before when using a torpedo heater is, point it into a old stove pipe to carry the heat where I need it. That way the open flame is away from the expensive stuff. Good luck with the thawing process.
Glad you got it solved!
So relieved to see you two!
Just had that problem with my RV sewer pipe. I had to use a heater for 4 hours. Then I the wrap the sewer pipe with that Double Reflective Insulation. You can get it at Home Depot. That was 3 days ago. We just got 8" of snow. No issues so far. Works Great!!
Glad u got the pipes going. ❤❤❤
I hate that you have to deal with frozen pipes! I’m glad the pipes didn’t break! I love the glow collars!
😁
Sorry to hear about the frozen 🥶pipes, stay safe and take care my friends 🙏🏻Appreciate you always 🙏🏻 God Bless
Hey there, decent trick we learned for big cold snaps and vulnerable pee traps.. sprinkle a good bit of salt down the shower pee trap so it dont freeze during the cold snap if no one showers. With enough salt water dont freeze. Its helped, nothing worse than all your systems start acting up and its negative temps
Smart
i am on a cistern that supply's water from the crawl space, i use "heat tape" along the supply and drain lines but only power them when it is below freezing. So far it has worked with outside temps to -38f two nights here in Montana.
Thanks for keeping it real and y'all stay warm up yander 👍🏻
Yander, LOL
I was raised and still live in upstate NY, when I was a child I learned from my Mom some things that kept pipes from freezing, keep the warmth inside your home, by covering windows with insulated coverings, always leave cabinet doors open under sinks or anywhere on outside walls, in rooms that are hard to heat use small lamps with 100watt bulbs as close to pipes as you can safely put them, and yes heat tape is great when temps are freezing, especially in high wind. I used all these for thirty years in our home and only once did we have an issue, when we had a straight week of below zero weather and loss of power, and even then it was only in our master bath, located at the end of the house on the windy side. It may not always work, but it sure does help! Good luck and stay safe!
Thanks for the great tips. Much appreciated.
You need a Diesel heater sponsor. Safer than a torpedo heater. You could run that over night under the cabin and not worry about a fire.
Living off grid...solving all the problems....at least you fixed it!!
Tell the people that don’t like your laugh to get over it. Keep on keeping on!
Insulate the pipes by wrapping the thin stuff you used on battery door, it can prevent frozen pipes to a certain temp.
Pray you thaw out and the plants moving works perfect the rest of winter!❤❤🐾🐾🐾❄️❄️
In the 18.5 years since I've moved back home, I have only had my pipes freeze one time and that was due to an error that the x did after installing a new water heater. I remember what I need to do to keep my pipes from freezing. In the single digit temps and below, even with heat tape, I open all cabinets under my sinks and let water drip in all faucets. I live in a mobile home and take no chances on pipes freezing! Hang in there. We are going to have these sub-zero temps through the first week of Feb. here.
We live in a camper in northern PA and our solution to our above ground water hose feeding the camper is wrapped in pipe foam noodles with an extension cord style RV hose heater element jammed in the foam run over 100' is exposed to your same temperatures and no issues.
I would install one of those elements and wrap the pipe under there and only plug the cord in on the coldest polar vortexes as extra insurance.
Unless you dont mind a wide open pee trap accumulating all that water into the soil inside there, even the pee trap hole COULD begin to plug over time if it stays cold enough
Jay love and enjoy your videos. May the lord bless and protect you and Jen working working on the homestead and thawing out drain lines.
Appreciate you Brenda
The Michigan winter struggles are a real thing. 👍
True
Here in the UK my Water filters all froze and cracked earlier this month ;( was a costly freeze to be without water! Moved to Big Blue Filters now so hopefully they wont freeze aswell! Good luck guys, hope no other dramas!
Pesky p-traps, pain in the ass but something that’s needed, at least you got it sorted Jay, now go and get warmed up, stay warm guys 🫶🏻, tfs x Julie 🇬🇧
Uggh frozen pipes is something I thought I would never have to worry about again! 😂 In our old farmhouse we would sometimes have to let the bathroom tap drip at night or we'd have frozen pipes in the morning. Too long a story to explain why. Lol. Never thought drain pipes would be an issue! I feel for ya. That was tough! Great job Jay! And JEN for being a champ and dealing with his irritability. Lol. I can also relate to that although I'm not near as patient! 😂😂😂❤❤❤
Appreciate you guys. Hope you are doing well
When it's that cold You got to do your best to stay warm and keep the water flowing . Been there when we lived outside of Cleveland Ohio in a Old Farmhouse . For 33 years . Quite the challenge as I got older ,Heated pipe wrap for pipes in the basement , Space heater going in basement . Wood Stove going constantly.Good luck Guys .
It might be beneficial to wrap your drainage pipes with foam insulation to help reduce the risk even more of freezing😊
Hi guy's, I knew you would get it going again. It's an exceptionally cold year.
a huge problem turned out to be a small one i know you'd fix it jay sorry for cold weather a story from mountain people success dave from ct
Jay and Jen, I live up here in Northern New Hampshire where it gets extremely cold in January, My house is over 200 years old and not very well insulated. With that being said I’ve had to rely sometimes on an electric heat gun. I now have a DEWALT cordless heat gun and it works fabulous. I highly recommend you try that as a backup.
Go get your torpedo heater and blast it in there for a while to thaw it all out. Get rid of traps and install one way valves that completely drain and then close off to prevent backups and smells.
Exactly what I was going to suggest, I've used them with good venting at my power room in bad weather thing's charge great at 72° good luck. Jet heaters worth there weight in gold.🤠
It was cold last week in Tennessee 3 degrees with -5 windchill. Thankful it's warmer this week. I don't like it being that cold. Good luck.
Ah, the frozen P-trap.....this can happen almost in any home. While living in Santa Fe, I had helped a girlfriend on her trailer and we installed fire wire / snow melters (300watt string) and enclosed the pipes in black flexible drainage pipe with expanding foam on all of the vulnerable locations and that did the trick. Gary from SE MI
Same cold here in Boston NY ! I am off grid hear in small home as well. I fing when done running water when super cold pouring a small amount of pink RV antifreeze works well. What you can do for better fix is put heat tape for water lines in P trap thein insulate it . With the heat tape their is a telp controller you can plug into . turns on under 32F . It will use a small amount of power but you can put on switch as well. When propane gets real cold it wants to stay a liquid in tank and not evaporate. Just try to keep tank somewhat warm is all you can do . Stay warm !
Love the dog collars
amzn.to/4h4V0p8 here's the link if you need them for your pup(s). They're great!
We feel your pain , we have a frozen water line outside as well , we are expecting another arctic blast on Friday the 15:10 15:10 31st of January. Hang in there guys
You too my friend, be safe
Thank you!!
Glad you got fixed it... Some or the RVers put a Diesel heater under there trailers to keep the water tanks from freezing. I noticed you also have one of those. Good luck I'll be watchin' ya.
Appreciate that my friend
Put a headlamp or heat tape around pipes. These polar vortex every year is a pain even in the south. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the video. Glad it worked.
Thanks for watching
We are heading home to Gaylord tomorrow. We have been gone since November 21st. I sure hope all is well at our home. Thanks for the updates.
Hope your place is ok!
@OffgridwithJayandJen Me too. Several neighbors have checked on it from the road. 🤣😂 The snow is deep from the snowplows.
Hi isopropyl alcohol down the drain should help keep that P-trap from freezing when you’re done using water, put a bottle in the drain👍
Hello Jay and Jen. Going to be 53 degrees on Thursday in Wisconsin 😊
Nice
We were living in our RV in Bellaire early 2000 and had our sewer and drains freeze. Did same thing, put a torpedo heater under it and finally thawed it out
Jay use a cheap diesel heater for the crawlspace , only if it’s very cold , that what I do hear in Alberta at -22f it works like a charm ! Cheers buddy
I suggested this when they got the diesel heater for the little cabin. Figured they would be able to have a tank of water under there too so they could have running water during the winter. Ah well, it is the adventures that keep life interesting. Glad they got through it in fine form:-) Maple Syrup season is coming quick!
Added expensive but flush out the water with windshield washer fluid. It cheaper than antifreeze but helps. If you leave that cap off or loose your going to have a skating rink under your cabin at those temps.
Bummer about the water pipes. Stay warm & safe.
Thanks!
Where I live in TN we let our water drip to keep things from freezing. Wrapping the pipe with insulation and heat cable works. It only comes on when it is cold so you can leave it on all year.
They ask the same of us in houses along James Bay...way north
Irrigation systems use a plug in wire and wrap it around the back flow to keep it from freezing.
Get you a few of the pink rv antifreeze and put it in the drains if and after water going down them.
What about isopropyl alcohol or cheap pure grain alcohol?
From the subarctic James Bay...your welcome...😂 glad your disaster is remedied. Note to self: water freezes. Keep pipes warm
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
We have glow collars as well each dog gets a different colour. One red the other green they seem to be the brightest colour. That way we know who is who .
They're great! Easy to spot them in the dark!
We used to turn on a heat lamp under the house, near the pipes, when the temps got low.
Great video guy's ! Yes aways fixing in the cold looks like you need something that can keep a little heat under the cabin, Maybe hook up a small electric heater & let the solar keep it warm ? Hope you get it so it don't keep freezing :) It's a good thing I built mine on a foundation & my wood stove going all the time I never have freeze ups :) Take care stay warm
When we lived in a mobile home in Wisconsin we wrapped our pipes with heat tape and kept the tape plugged in during the winter months. 25 feet long for under $30 from Amaon and inexpensive to operate.
Hi from Marie in Alberta, Canada. Wi ter in the prairies here is often in the -40 range with wind chill making it even colder, and -40 is the same in Fahrenheit and in Celcius so which one we're using doesn't matter at this temperature. I live in a mobile home so I have a crawlspace for access to my water lines, septic, electrical cable, and the connection of the natural gas pipes to my hot air floor level furnace. The foil lined insulation on the exterior walls of your crawlspace is a good necessity and ,obscure resistant so not going to sweat from condensation in temperature fluctuations. My plumber wrapped freeze guard heat tape in a layer of wrap for extreme temperatures around my water lines and added freeze guard flail for the septic and a thermostatic control. The heat tape for water lines is available from 3 watts per foot to 12 watts per foot on Amazon. I've never see the flail so you may need to ask your local experts or a supplier in m
Your more extreme regions like Alaska that has temperatures in the-50s, even colder in Fahrenheit than in Celsius below -40s right now. My mobile home is 65 feet long and has water lines the full length so the heat tape and flail. Each uses 700 watts and is a plugged in a weatherproof GFCI plug-in so if moisture gets into them it shuts down to prevent damage to the electrical system. I use separate outdoor plug-ins with protective covers and I have 2 inches of exterior foam insulation with sheet metal siding bonded on both sides, that adds another R20ish on my 1978 mobile home that has 2 inch by 3 inch kiln dried .ightweight but really effective framing and was rated R11 by the manufacturer in California. I'm adding double pane windows to make 4 panes too. Even with all the extra insulation and windows, a plastic film greenhouse addition along most of the north side, the floor was still cold and with my water lines mostly on the floor along the exterior walls inside the cupboards, behind appliances, and under the bath, they were still freezing any time whenever the temperature dropped below -25 around a week. I had an outlet in the GFCIs available still and my plumber said I could add up to 700 watts to the one for the water lines if I wanted to add a thermostatically controlled electric freeze guard electric heater set to that wattage. I put it as close to main area for the water lines and septic where the plumber recommended. That decreased the frequency of the frozen water lines to 2 or 3 times severals days at a time, still inconvenient. At this point I debated between insulating the floors or redirecting so e of the heat from the furnace into the crawlspce. Most of my heat ducts were centrally located and three walls had a heat duct on each side so the wall got quite hot and the plumber and me too were concerned this could become a fire hazard. I cut a ho.e the size of a dryer vent through the floor, fiberglass insulation, and cardboard type of fiber board covering put a sturdy screen on the end to prevent rodents and insects from coming ip through the connection to the duct through the metal adhesive tape. The floors in the living room and master bedroom at the ends of the mobile home are still a little chilly to bare feet around -50s, so I still have to keep the freeze guard heater, heat tape, and especially the flail which is the one that is still vulnerable to in ground permafrost creeping in from under the ground due to the narrowness of a mo ile home and I don't have a heated cement pad or geothermal system. I pay rent for the lot I have my mobile home is on so I can't make permanent installations that would be difficult to remove or require maintenance, so finishing the windows and increasing the insulation in my floor that is still the original build are my next steps. I saw you didn't have anything wrapped around your pipes so if you manage the electrical usage I would start there. Good luck!
GLAD to know you 4 are surviving the cold we’ve been hearing about - and forecasted for the next WEEK!!!! You probably already have such a list - like a pilot preparing for takeoff - WINTER PREP. If so, you’ll just be adding “Remember CAP”. Otherwise…….🖌 You guys are so dang busy. Next year you can PRETEND you forgot where the sled is (for suspenseful content 🥶), but you’ll have written down where you stored it 🤣😂😅. 💚 -V Stay Warm
Hey there you all. Bc the diesel heaters are so effand inexpensive maybe you will consider getaway diesel heater and keeping the crawl space warmer about 40°F so that the water for the cabin will never freeze. You can used dryer vent to get the heat across the area from one end to the other and create dampener to get the warmth across the whole space... Just a thought. Hope that gets fixed soon.
So sorry my friends wish you best luck😊
Awesome adventure, lessons learned for all of us. You may already know this, but maybe investing in a "Pipe Heating Cable" for the future at the cost of some electricity would be safer than the torpedo. :) Thanks for sharing!
Life is an adventure!!!
The LORD allows circumstances to draw us to Himself. He loves us and helps us when we cry out to Him. Praying for you guys. It's not easy but Praise the LORD pipes were not busted. We all forget to do things at times, especially as we get older, so don't be upset with yourself. God's grace is sufficient for you. Praise the LORD you got things going again!!! God bless you guys
Lots of love my friend
Stacking straw bales around the perimeter of the cabin might help keep cold out and warmth in, plus it's past due to wrap those pipes with insulation. Glad it got thawed.
Great job guys!😇!!👍!😇!
wrap the line with heat tape an insulation and when its warmer install a switch inside to turn it on and off during the really cold days
I have three of these PRO-COM Propane Heaters in my cabin and they work really well. One is a 28,000btu and the other two are 15,000btu's. They are my secondary source and I also heat with wood. My cabin is in the catskill mts.
This is why my sink drains into a pail. Never had this problem. Came close to overflowing my pail a few times though 😂
My pipes under the sink used to freeze too, Now I leave the cupboard doors open when it is below freezing.
U guys r brave
Haha I can totally understand frozen pipes up there on the hill, but I live in housing and I have frozen kitchen pipes. Not sure about the shower. 😮. It's been cold here in the single digits.
I don't miss all those years of frozen water and broken pipes. Not fun at all. My husband had to do all the nasty work under the trailer in the cold. I'd rather do the wood stove any day even though it was outside.
Hope you got it fixed! 🙏
Good Job, maybe put the diesal heater down there temporarily.
Better to be prepared than not
You may wanna set up one of those diseal heaters for under your main cabin...
The propane issue is most likely water vapor freezing out of the tank or appliance. The ice then gets stuck in the worst place. It will go away or take everything instead to thaw and drain.
Is your plumbing PVC or schedule 40? Both melt, but sched 40 is tougher.
You can run heat tape on your pipes from drain to septic for emergencies.
OR you can build an insulated utilidor for your pipes.
OR you can fix the problem. And not run the pipes outside insulated space. If you run drains just under the level of the framing, it won't take much to insulate around them. Then you only have to worry about the transition from floor to septic. Again, heat tape, insulation and a sealed box!
A Redi heater (torpedo heater?) Multifuel jet engine, just get cheap stovepipe and a couple of elbows. It fits right over the output and elbows help you direct the heat while leaving the heaving dragon outside. This set up also works great on frozen cars 😊.
Trust me, this ain't an emergency, just happens.
Whole life in Alaska. Middle Alaska. Where cold is real.
Caution: think about what would happen if you had 10 ft of pipe totally iced up. Then you heated a section in the middle to where the water boiled inside. 😮
years ago i lived in a mobile home.I hated the undernieth freezing all the time.I nstalled electrical heat wraap tape on certain drain areas.These days you can buy it with a thermostat built in that turns the heat on only when it gets below a certain temp.Or just install a heat lamp under it with a thermostat switch outlet set up
❤to you both
Insulation foam wrap for youre pipes could be a great idea for the future 😉 just an idea and it's relatively cheap and works well.
Ad another diesel heater in the crawl space to keep it above freezing.the remote will turn it on or off just need to keep an eye out on temps.
The drain hose on a camper is 3.5" or 4" in diameter. If you leave the valve open so water drains slowly and constantly they will freeze shut quickly, but the valve will freeze if you don't. Heat tape wrapped closely, then covered in insulation is the best solution when temperatures get below 20 degrees. The best short term solution is to use a large pot instead of the sink when really cold, then toss it out when finished. Ice builds up over time, so using the drain as little as possible, then with as hot of water as you can use.
Do what I did open a hole in the floor place a fan or blower in the opening , with a timer to send warm air below, figure cycle to keep above freezing
brr... hopefully you will have warmer weather, it's finally been about 45 here.. our lows were -6 . Back in 2022 winter we had -22! there is a special type of p trap you can buy that isn't supposed to freeze off amazon, called BV1B/UB HepvO Sanitary Waste Valve - 1-1/2". I've not personally used them yet but another person here in KY has. Love the pups collar.
Crazy as its over forty degrees here in central alaska. Next week its going to be minus temps again and nothing but ice everywhere. I hope you remain okay and we all forget stuff so its not a damn you Jay thing. Of course I swear a lot, just me living alone here.... did figure out tho what I am going to get myself for a birthday/christmas and probably few others.,. a E trike so I can get out and go places.. hit on chicks
Everything gets harder in the winter. Sometimes all you can do is laugh.
True!
It's been below in Minnesota too. What if you made some insulationed boxes to go over your pipes or wrap them up. I know the wind has been crazy. We use to put a treble light in our pump hose to help water from freezing. Just think 3 months lift till it stays above freezing.😊
I used to have some aircraft landing light sealed beam units, at 28v 250w these were simply a fabulous beam of heat and light, probably hot enough to melt plastic pipe. There is also a mains electric trace heating tape for wrapping round metal pipes that's more limited in both heat and likely damage. I'm certain that this exists in 120v units as well as our 240v but both need electricity.
Add lots of pipe lagging and some foil or tar paper to keep the heat in and stop the wind cooling your pipes, that 2" ish pipe could be 6 to 12 inches diameter with added insulation. Add insulation and a moderate heater and your problems could be over.
Just a suggestion as you get a little older I would do what I did when developed some back and age problem I build a nice along side of the. Home a small shed like room maybe 6 x6 to house and insulated to be Able to get all those under house utilities so you don’t need to crawl under and also wrap some insulation around your pipes it will save a lot headaches. Think about on your colander what needs to be done on your wall to make sure you do for winter it always happens in winter and holidays lol
A suggestion - purchase a diesel torpedo heater and put it in the crawl space - careful where you point it. My son has a 32ft 5th wheel in which he is living while he builds a house on our property. He had a frozen pipe problem and the torpedo heater solved the problem. His heater has a temperature control and he set it to 40F. Pipes tend to freeze at about 10F - he turn on the heater and it runs maybe for 2 minutes every 20 minutes when the outside temperature is 0F.