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[–]Comatoast 6 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 3 fun -  (12 children)

To be honest, you should probably cut all the way to the main and replace it where you can with PEX. It's more flexible. Invest in an oscillating multitool. When you're putting the copper back, make sure you wrap it in pipe insulation.

As far as the drywall, stud finders will be your saving grace. At least in my experience,it's easiest to cut at the studs, that way you've got a good anchoring point instead of just trying to ugly-putty it back on there and have it fall through with so much as a fart. Once you've got the square back in, you can put drywall mesh over the seam spots and just do a putty/sand cycle until it looks fine. I would definitely check anything that got wet though,especially if you guys didn't have a dehumidifier and fans running down there the whole time. The rugs are probably fine, just pressure wash, then rent a rug doctor and shampoo the shit out of them.

[–]magnora7[S] 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (11 children)

To be honest, you should probably cut all the way to the main and replace it where you can with PEX

Oh can I bury PEX? Should I buy insulated PEX so when it comes out of the ground and goes in to the side of the garage, it won't freeze like this again?

Invest in an oscillating multitool.

What for?

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. I just got a temperature camera so I can see heat leaks and fix the insulation.

I also have to find 5/8" drywall for the garage, and transport it to my house, and one sheet of drywall doesn't fit in my vehicle. But that's a problem for after the plumbing is fixed, haha

[–]Comatoast 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (2 children)

https://youtu.be/iUNc3zL3dws

https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/pex-piping-everything-you-need-to-know/

These two should be helpful, but you might want to look through other videos too.

The oscillating multitool can cut metal, drywall, wood, whatever. They're a godsend for anyone doing home repair or even hobby stuff.

If you can rent a small uhaul, or maybe just a trailer for the day that might help with the transport. Kinda spendy for just doing that, but it's an easy option if you don't know anyone with a pickup truck.

[–]Zapped 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

I second getting a multi-tool as part of your basic home tool collection. You can even get a cheap one ($19) from Harbor Freight if you're a weekend warrior.

[–]magnora7[S] 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Thank you! I will research this stuff some more, I appreciate it.

[–]Zapped 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

PEX expands without bursting if the water freezes inside it. You can bury it directly, but most plumbers around here will sleeve it in a larger piece of PEX to protect it against roots, rocks, and future digging. I think that may be a code requirement, too. Plus, if it does leak, the water will travel inside the sleeve instead of filling the ground soil, so you know it's leaking before you get a $300 water bill. The only time I've seen PEX cause problems is when certain well water corrodes the metal fittings.

Sharkbites are great, but are more expensive then regular fittings. You can get a PEX tool pretty cheap now and it's easy to figure out how to use. You can order everything you need from Amazon.

[–]magnora7[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks for the info!

[–]bobbobbybob 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (5 children)

my main line is just polybuteline, survives -15C frosts quite happily, uninsulated. I leave the tap at the end of the line dripping over the worst winter months, as moving water brings fresh energy and slows down freezing. you can get waterproof drywall too. its called aqualine down here in NZ. Might be worth it in your outdoorsy places, as we are due for a lot more cold in the future.

[–]magnora7[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Thanks for the info. This my first time dealing with pipes freezing, it's just not a thing down here. Learned a lot of mistakes I won't be making again.

[–]Node 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

I've lived in the cold regions, and doubt you need to dig up much of your broken water line. I believe you said it just popped where it exited the ground and went into your house?

You should be fine just digging down a foot or so to a clean and unbroken section of pipe, and replacing it with more pvc. A split section of straight pipe should probably be replaced back past the the next fitting, as the split may travel further than visible. So this may mean digging up and replacing the elbow underground where the pipe goes vertical and emerges from the ground.

Do some research on the advantages and disadvantages of PEX before deciding to use that.

They're pretty likely to fix the 'loss of power generation' issues after this mess, so in potential future freezes you could cover or wrap your exposed piping with a blanket or tarp with a low wattage 'real' lightbulb, or leave the water trickling that night.

Good to have you back. Hope you brought some of that freeze with you to apply to the trolls and shills.

Edit: I now live on the coast where it never freezes, except that one time back in the early 90s... Checked on a friends house who was away, and it turns out water lines went to the kitchen though the ceiling. I could hear the water when I opened my car door. Water was pouring out around the front door. Imagine what happens when a whole ceiling/attic gets filled with water from a wide open incoming water line. It was an amazing sight.

[–]magnora7[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I believe you said it just popped where it exited the ground and went into your house?

Yeah just like a 3' segment above ground and outside the house is what broke off.

You should be fine just digging down a foot or so to a clean and unbroken section of pipe, and replacing it with more pvc. A split section of straight pipe should probably be replaced back past the the next fitting, as the split may travel further than visible

Thanks, that makes sense. It has several straight PVC cuffs along the pipe that comes up from the ground. There's a shutoff valve on that pipe, so maybe I can cut it just after that to get a fresh section and a good unfractured cut.

so in potential future freezes you could cover or wrap your exposed piping with a blanket or tarp with a low wattage 'real' lightbulb, or leave the water trickling that night.

Yeah definitely going to take these things very seriously for the rest of my life after this event. I just didn't even know my mains was exposed like that, I thought that pipe was just a separate line to have a hose hookup for that side of the yard.

Thanks for the advice! And yeah I'm extremely glad this didn't break over the house itself and flood the house. That would've been a nightmare, especially with the power out for days and it below zero

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I'd love to hear more about your friend's house. What did it look like? Did you open the front door, man?

[–]Node 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

There were inches of water when I opened the front door. Parts of the ceiling had collapsed in a mess of wet sheetrock and insulation. The area above the dining room just had this huge sag full of water and I have no idea how it held together that long. A lot of the incoming water was pouring directly onto the dining room table.

The house was partly built into a hillside, so there was a level below the destruction too. That got pretty wet, although the ceiling may not have collapsed there. It was pretty much the worst place for the water line in a freeze, and it did a ton of damage to that house.

If he had been home, he would have had the heat on and nothing would have happened. Really bad timing on his trip and the 'probable 100 year' freeze.