[TheForge] OT frozen pipes

[Bob Ehrenberger]

The Monday before Christmas we had the temps drop below zero with high winds 
out of the West.  As a result, the pipes that run to our laundry froze and 
burst.  That section of the house is just a crawl space, so instead of 
opening up the hatch to gain access which would have really flooded the 
space with cold air, I decided to disconnect and cap that section at the 
source.  I got the Hot line capped ok, but the shut off valve did not stop 
the flow completly and let a steady drip through to the cold line. Because 
of the dampness, I couldn't get the joint to take solder, so I decided to 
use a compression fitting.  At the local farm store they didn't have any 
compression fittings, but they had something called SharkBite. It was a bit 
pricey but what option did I have?  So I got it.  To my amazment, it worked 
as advertised, just clean the end and slide the fitting on and you are done. 
So if you have to make an emergency repair, the SharkBite connectors are a 
good choice.

Robert Ehrenberger
Shelbyville, Mo.
eforge at centurytel.net