Does any one have any experience with freeze up damage from not winterizing a home? I looked at a foreclosure and as soon as you walk in the the drywall on the ceiling and wall have fallen down and there’s water damage on the carpeting. Not the whole ceiling but about a 3 ft wide opening. Other than that the house looks great. Can anyone tell me about their experience with freeze up damage? Is it usually just in one spot or many spots? The home is a one bath and all of the plumbing is on the right side of the house. It has hot air heat so no issues with heating. Is this something I should run from? The house is priced about 50k below market and the only other issue I see is a collapsed chimney. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Skinnee,
I have bought MANY houses that have had frozen pipes. Also, in the rental business, it’s a very common occurrance, as tenants frequently have their power shut off during the winter (because they don’t pay their bills). The number of breaks in the lines will vary greatly, depending on the type of water lines, their age, the quality of their original installation. I just turn on the water and look for leaks. Keep fixing them until there are no more leaks. It’s really just as simple as that. BTW, I always replace broken lines with PEX and brass fittings/Sharkbite fittings. PEX will not break when frozen and I’ve never had one of the brass fittings break either.
Mike
I love buying these properties since “plumbing problems” scare most people away, investors included, and the price drops like a rock. The great majority of the fixes are splicing in a section of pipe or a joint, either solder or glue, and fixing the drywall. Just not a big deal.
Burst pipes under concrete is another animal entirely. Unless it can be reasonably bypassed completely it can be a real PITA.
jmd_forest
I just finished a rehab that had freeze damage. The leaks were in the upstairs bath which I planned on rehabbing anyway. I cut a couple of access holes in the wall below, and fished new pex lines to service the bathroom, not a big deal at all. Since Pex is so easy and quick to work with, I ended up replace all the plumbing in the house in about a quarter of the time copper would take. As an added bonus, nobody is interested in stealing Pex out of a house. :cool
I just went through this exact experience with a foreclosure that wasn’t properly winterized-one thing to look for is a frost line on the walls and ceiling. That will help give you an idea of how far the water spread inside the walls when it was still leaking.
With the hole in the ceiling and the chimney damage it sounds more like a roof leak than a pipe leak. Pipes rarly run overhead, they usually run inside the walls in the 2nd story. It can and does happen, check carefullyand be sure of the cause.
redhawk
I did fix up a foreclosed house where the pipes froze. One way to find the leaks is to put fittings on them. They’re basically like tire pressure fittings, not sure what they’re called as the plumber got them. Anyway you just pressurize the pipes up to 100 psi’s or so or whatever the water pressure is and use a tire gauge to see what the pressure is. If it drops, then you have a leak, if not, you’re good. You might want to set the pressure and then check the next day in case it’s a slow leak.
The freeze ups are typically in the elbows or the low points of the pipes. Typically the solder joints blew out, but some pipes were also split, those were typically the horizontal pipes.
One way to find the leaks is to put fittings on them. They're basically like tire pressure fittings, not sure what they're called as the plumber got them. Anyway you just pressurize the pipes up to 100 psi's or so or whatever the water pressure is and use a tire gauge to see what the pressure is. If it drops, then you have a leak, if not, you're good. You might want to set the pressure and then check the next day in case it's a slow leak.
That’s not nearly as much fun as just turning on the water!
Mike
well You have a ton of info On pipes and plumbing above
I am with the poster that states it seems more like a roof leak than pipes as do to your location and such.
I will say this about freeze damage
the type of freeze damage you will encounter just as often is Plaster!!!
there will be many times you look at units with heat turned off for long periods that have fallen walls and ceilings>
This is Not alway do to leakage of roof or pipes
Many of the older units you will look at are plaster on lath walls and ceilings
this type of material doe NOT like serious swings in temp
therfore when the unit has heat off and the inside changes temp with the outside > LIke Cold winters etc
the plaster expands and contracts alot this makes it loose its hold on the lath and will then become loose and fall or spall out.
Basically there are several ways to deal with this and the choice is yours in how you rehab.
But before I buy any vacant unit I alway try to find out how long sense last occupied
then I myself or My rep walks it out and looks for damage
dont forget to push on the walls and ceilings in many places
sometimes it may look like its secure but when you push on it it will move
if it moves it has broken free of the lath and will need to be addressed before it falls out.
I have been in units that looked like they only had a few small spots of wall/ ceiling damage
but after pushing walls and ceilings I find that most of the plaster is coming off
therefor what looks like an easy fix would end up almost being a full gut and drywall > job adding huge cost to the rehab!
to check ceilings I have one of those extendable poles i bring with me with a flat piece screwed to the end
the kind of pole you use for painting is just fine> get a cheep one that is around 4 ft closed
that will expand out to well over 7ft> so you can even check high ceilings for loosenes!
also Be very carefull about buying these units with snow on the roof!
you may find that although you dont see any leaks when your inside > as soon as the snow melts they will show up if it needs roof work,
Just my two cents