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Purveyor

(29,876 posts) Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:20 PM Feb 2014

Jackson, MI Crews Wait On Equipment To Thaw Nearly 100 Frozen Pipes, Leaving Residents Without Water

JACKSON, MI – With hundreds of Jackson residents without water due to frozen pipes, city officials are saying it may be a while before they can thaw them out.

City crews are no longer thawing pipelines as they wait for necessary equipment to be shipped, and in the meantime are looking for ways to help residents as best they can, Jackson City Manager Patrick Burtch said.

"We understand people's plight," Burtch said, "but we don't have the manpower or the equipment to thaw people's waterlines right now. We'd go at a slow clip even if we had the equipment."

Burtch said one contractor was out at a home for six hours Monday and was unable to thaw the resident's waterlines. Once the equipment is in the hands of city crews, they'll begin thawing lines again.

When that will begin, though, is undetermined. Burtch said the equipment was set to be delivered by now but was bumped off the freight to make room for road salt to be delivered to state municipalities.

more...

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2014/02/jackson_crews_wait_on_equipmen.html#incart_river_default

Never has this happen to this extent. How in the hell do you unthaw frozen pipes that are buried 4 foot underground?

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Jackson, MI Crews Wait On Equipment To Thaw Nearly 100 Frozen Pipes, Leaving Residents Without Water (Original Post) Purveyor Feb 2014 OP

At my house, the water pipes are buried 8' deep. MineralMan Feb 2014 #1

My waterlines are less that 2' deep. DURHAM D Feb 2014 #3

The frost line in Michigan is 42 inches but obviously we blew right through Purveyor Feb 2014 #4

Here, too, the subzero weather has been extra bad. MineralMan Feb 2014 #7

That 4 foot reference doesn't seem right. DURHAM D Feb 2014 #2

It sounds like these are residential lines. bluedigger Feb 2014 #5

These are lines from the street to the house so I don't know who is responsible. Purveyor Feb 2014 #6

Do you have another source of info? bluedigger Feb 2014 #8

Have family that dealt with it last week. Blue Diadem Feb 2014 #9

MineralMan

(146,311 posts)

1. At my house, the water pipes are buried 8' deep.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:28 PM

Feb 2014

That's in St. Paul, MN. I've not heard of frozen water supply pipes here.

DURHAM D

(32,610 posts)

3. My waterlines are less that 2' deep.

Reply to MineralMan (Reply #1)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:35 PM

Feb 2014

Purveyor

(29,876 posts)

4. The frost line in Michigan is 42 inches but obviously we blew right through

Reply to MineralMan (Reply #1)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:36 PM

Feb 2014

that.

I don't have an exact count but we have had at least 15 nights with below-zero temps. 2 of those nights we dipped to -19 & -18 and we just aren't accustomed to those constant temps.

I've never seen a winter like it in my 56 years.

MineralMan

(146,311 posts)

7. Here, too, the subzero weather has been extra bad.

Reply to Purveyor (Reply #4)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:47 PM

Feb 2014

I know that in some places in Minnesota they have had problems with water supply lines freezing. My neighborhood was built in the mid 1950s, and our water comes in through the basement floor. I'm not sure how deeply the ground has frozen here.

DURHAM D

(32,610 posts)

2. That 4 foot reference doesn't seem right.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:34 PM

Feb 2014

The frost line is way higher than that.

bluedigger

(17,086 posts)

5. It sounds like these are residential lines.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:37 PM

Feb 2014

Not even a municipal responsibility, at least anywhere I've ever lived.

Purveyor

(29,876 posts)

6. These are lines from the street to the house so I don't know who is responsible.

Reply to bluedigger (Reply #5)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:44 PM

Feb 2014

I would think it would be the municipalities responsibility up to the water meter.

I know that is how it works with electric coming into the house.

Fortunately we don't live in the city but still worry a bit about the line that runs from our submerged deep well pump to the house. IIRC that line is buried at 5 foot.

bluedigger

(17,086 posts)

8. Do you have another source of info?

Reply to Purveyor (Reply #6)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:51 PM

Feb 2014

Nothing in the article says that.

"Jackson Mayor Jason Smith said the city has provided the courtesy of thawing people's pipes for years, but has never had so many people in the city need the service." People's pipes - not The People's (city's) pipes.

I think the reference to the freeze depth was just poorly explained to/by the reporter as an example of the severity of the conditions.

Blue Diadem

(6,597 posts)

9. Have family that dealt with it last week.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 03:17 PM

Feb 2014

Both son & his neighbor's was frozen between the main & curb stop. The town uses an electrical current to thaw it. I didn't know how to explain it but I did find an article that does:

http://www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/546193/Frozen-water-lines-on-rise.html?nav=5003
snip:
Crews thaw pipes by putting an electric current on the shut-off valve at the curbside, explained Lampi. The electric current heats up the adjoining pipe and thaws the frozen water. This process does not work on plastic pipes which a property owner may have chosen to install underground, he noted.

I noticed in a link from your news article they use steam heat.

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2014/02/nearly_100_jackson_properties.html

Jackson Department of Public Works officials use a machine which pumps steam into a frozen pipe until it thaws. Smith said the city is now hesitant to spend the time and manpower to thaw a pipe if it will simply freeze again.

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