Frozen Pipes

secondcurve · 01-18-2009, 10:59 AM

I need some advice on how to deal with a frozen forced hot water heating pipe. Last Thursday night I set the temperature in my family room zone to 60 degrees. The family room is over a two car garage that has a Modine heater in it that I had set at 50 degrees. Well as luck would have it, when the temperature plunged a pipe in the family room zone froze. At least that is what my oil burner repairmen determined and I have no reason to doubt him. He tried to free the freeze up by bringing the pressure in the boiler up but to no avail.

Since Friday I have had the modine heater in the garage set on 80 degrees and the other two zones on the first floor at 73 degrees. The temperature in the family room has gradually increased from 60 degrees to 68 degrees, but that zone remains frozen. My fear is that the pipe will break in the wall. That would be a nightmare! The problem I have is that all of the forced hot water pipes in the family room are buried behind finished walls. Is my only alternative to keep the adjacent heating zones set at high levels and pray the pipe doesn't break? Any advice would be much appreciated.

01-18-2009, 10:59 AM	#1
secondcurve Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,119 Thanks: 1,332 Thanked 559 Times in 288 Posts	Frozen Pipes I need some advice on how to deal with a frozen forced hot water heating pipe. Last Thursday night I set the temperature in my family room zone to 60 degrees. The family room is over a two car garage that has a Modine heater in it that I had set at 50 degrees. Well as luck would have it, when the temperature plunged a pipe in the family room zone froze. At least that is what my oil burner repairmen determined and I have no reason to doubt him. He tried to free the freeze up by bringing the pressure in the boiler up but to no avail. Since Friday I have had the modine heater in the garage set on 80 degrees and the other two zones on the first floor at 73 degrees. The temperature in the family room has gradually increased from 60 degrees to 68 degrees, but that zone remains frozen. My fear is that the pipe will break in the wall. That would be a nightmare! The problem I have is that all of the forced hot water pipes in the family room are buried behind finished walls. Is my only alternative to keep the adjacent heating zones set at high levels and pray the pipe doesn't break? Any advice would be much appreciated.