Repairs To The Burst Pipe Have Begun
[ Sunday February 5th 2023 at 4:32 pm ]
Three days ago I discovered there was no water pressure on the hot water line to my kitchen sink. The following morning there was no water pressure on the cold water line. The water pipes going to my kitchen froze. Around 3:30 AM this morning there was an almighty bag: One of the water pipes had burst. Two of my friends have stepped up to help me repair this.
The initial challenge is that I use really hot soaks in the tub to help my physical disability. This helps me a lot with my legs. The initial thought was to install shut off valves in the basement to separate water going to the kitchen from the rest of the house. In theory this would allow water to the sinks, tub, shower, toilet, drinking water filter and washing machine. This worked.
One of my friends came to help me earlier in the day. He removed the drywall concealing the water pipes goes to the kitchen. He promptly found a burst in the cold water line. This afternoon my friend repaired this. When he turned that shut off valve back on for the kitchen the water held and that burst has been repaired.
The hot water burst is in an awkward position and requires a lower kitchen cabinet to be removed. It will require a few hours of work to repair. It is too much to start today. For the short term he hooked up my countertop dishwasher to the cold water. This leaves my home habitable. Seeing as I live here alone (with Rocky The Hamster) this is suitable. My dishwasher contains a heating element and will warm up the water while washing my dirty dishes.
I had my home water turned off when it burst. This was to prevent water going everywhere if the pipe burst in the night. Even so I am sufficiently sore from the effort involved in mopping up the burst water on the floor. Tomorrow will be a recovery day. We're hoping to continue the efforts later in the week. Weather-wise I am okay to wait for the insulation and vapour barrier to be replaced. Considering how bad this could have been I am satisfied.