How to thaw out frozen Pipes

[pocolow]

Last night the temperature in Macclesfield fell to -15c and clearly the anti freeze in my camper(1.6 td) was not up to the job . The front to rear pipes appear frozen and the bottom hoses to the rad (though not solid but feels like slush) Any suggestions how to thaw them out safely so I can flush the system and refil...Thanks Mark.

[1664]

Hair dryer?

[72BUG]

[pocolow]

Hair dryer?

Better ask Mrs Pocolow then....being a man I have no use for such contrivances...

[Plasticman]

peter mandelson does
mike

[eatcustard]

heat gun?

[ermie571]

err..it froze naturally....why can't you leave it to defrost? or do you need it??

Em
x

[Red Westie]

Oooooer! I expect you have been told how serious a situation this is? when water (coolant) freezes it EXPANDS! splitting/cracking and popping hoses, engine blocks, core plugs and anything else trying to contain it! push it into a warm closed garage for a couple of days and hope for the best.
Martin

[AngeloEvs]

Rad and core plugs........check the latter as they don't always pop out completely but lift and eventually pop out weeks later. Rad will be obvious! best of luck, if its 'slush' you will probably be OK, hope so anyway!

[CovKid]

I know during very cold spells during the 70s, my old man used to leave a low-output greenhouse heater under his motor over night and that thawed everything. I believe you can get very low-profile paraffin heaters that would do the job. I wouldn't put it under the engine block itself, but just forward of that to the side of the gearbox - might help.

[ghost123uk]

I made a mistake in December.

I had been running with no antifreeze, just for a couple of weeks, after a rubber pipe let go and I lost all my G12
I replaced the pipe and temporarily filled up with just water.

I had bought 2 gallons of Comma G12 but had not got around to doing it until the weather forecast, broadcast at 11pm, just as I was going to bed, told me it was going to be minus 3 that night !

So I set off, on a VERY cold night, to the local supermarket car park where there is some light.

I drained about 2 gallons of the water out, then put the antifreeze in and bled it all.
No real problems there except I was flippin cold and it must have looked odd, all this going on at midnight in a deserted supermarket car park !

The problem arose when I wanted to get the water and newly added antifreeze to get all mixed together.
I sat in the van with the motor at a fast tickover and the heater on.
After 30 minutes the rad was still cold !!

I realised that at tickover with the heater on and the outside temp being so cold, the motor was not getting hot enough for the stat to open, so the water in the rad was never going to mix up with the neat antifreeze in the block and pipes !

I had to turn the heater off (BRrrrr) and tick over for another 30 minutes before the rad fan came on and the rad was hot from top to bottom !! I then drove about 10 miles to make sure.

All was in the end, but what a mither !

I know know I should have drained it all and mixed the antifreeze and water before filling !!
Hindsight is a great thing !!

[end blog]

[AngeloEvs]

Thats why I prefer the stats with a lttle hole in the skirt. Frozen blocks was a common occurence in the old days. I seem to recall (BTW this not advice just a recollection) that a method often used was to slacken the fan belt (to stop the water pump from rotating), cutting through the hoses to the engine and pouring hot water over them or heating the hoses untill the ice in them melted. The hoses were then filled with hot water to thaw the entry points into the block, radiator and whatever else might suffer. finally, the engine was switched on for thirty seconds or so at intervals and any expansion would be through the engine coolant connection points which were now free of solid ice. Frozen Heater matrix and Rads often rupture even if the engine survives intact.

[72BUG]

Easy solution.

Buy an Aircooled.

[pocolow]

I parked the van facing the sun yesterday and with a small gas heater under the radiator and front pipes, slowly she thawed out. Ran her for an hour heater works ok, engine and pipes ok...but the Radiator had two small leaks and was starting to steam....bugger ..So new rad needed ,or do I do it with radweld until the weather gets warmer and my bank balance healthier. Mark

[happy camper]

i'm soooooooooooooooooooo glad i done a coolant drain flush and refill in july my vans covered down to -30 and if it gets that cold i won't be going out anyways,



i know that no one likes a smart a***