All in all, the owner of this Bensalem rental property was lucky; even though he was dealing with a burst frozen pipe and leaking rusted boiler, there really wasn’t much water damage. Still, it was time to act fast. And because he did, this homeowner saved himself a lot of money and headaches.
In this case study, we’ll go over the problems and how he avoided things getting much, much worse. Then we’ll talk about the improvements he made and how he’s avoiding these issues in the future.
Frozen Pipe, Rusted Boiler Almost Caused Massive Water Damage in Bensalem Home
The immediate problem here was that a pipe burst near the kitchen in the crawl space underneath the home. The pipe had frozen during an especially cold morning and since it was outside the house and exposed, it didn’t stay warm enough.
When we got under there, it looked like the owner had put some electrical heating tape to keep it warm. But the tape was old and wasn’t working anymore. As a result, water froze inside the pipe and then more water built up behind the ice block. That put pressure on the pipe until it finally ruptured.
The owner was, at least, lucky this didn’t happen inside the house. If so, he would have been dealing with gallons of water flowing into the home every minute.
By the time we got there, the tenants had shut off the water to prevent any more flooding. Then one of our techs made his way through the crawl space — a tight squeeze — and replaced the damaged section.
Preventing and treating frozen pipes
Our homeowner had the right idea with the heating tape. The tape attaches to the pipe and warms it up so the ice melts. In this case, however, it was old and wasn’t working. That allowed the ice block to form with nothing there to melt it. And, since it was outside, the conditions were even worse.
Plus if you’re using heating tape outside, you need it on the pipe before it freezes; otherwise it usually can’t provide enough heat to combat both the ice block and the severe weather. If the frozen spot is inside, on the other hand, you can usually thaw it quickly because the house is warmer. It’s also easier to access with a hairdryer or space heater.
That’s why it’s important to know what to do if you notice your pipes are frozen.
The telltale sign is turning on a faucet or shower on a cold morning and no water comes out. When that happens, your first step is to turn off the water from the main so that pressure doesn’t build up. Next, open the cabinets under your sinks. This way, more heat from your home reaches the plumbing. Finally, warm the pipes with a space heater or hairdryer. If you can apply them right to the iced-over spot, that’s great. Otherwise, the heat will eventually radiate to the problem area.
We took the opportunity to review these steps with the homeowner and tenants and added insulation to the exposed plumbing in the crawl space. Next it was on to the old boiler!
Replacing a Leaky Boiler in Bensalem
We’ll be honest: it was amazing this old unit was still working! The boiler was well past the 20-year mark, and it showed. By the time we got there, it had rusted out and started leaking. We could see from the marks that water had been slowly escaping for some time.
Fortunately, it hadn’t caused a disaster — yet.
So far, the only problems were getting enough hot water and some higher energy bills for the owner. But the holes in this unit were ready to burst.
What happens is that little by little, air mixing with the water in the boiler causes the unit to rust. Eventually, it breaks down enough for water to start seeping through small openings. At that point, the damage worsens at a quicker rate. More air and more water mean more rust and deterioration.
Finally, the unit was compromised so severely that the corroded metal around the small opening crumbles and breaks. Then you’ve got a huge, gaping hole pouring water into your basement.
We saw it happen at a house in Bristol — and it wasn’t pretty. Fortunately, the homeowner in this case had us replace the boiler as well when he called about the pipe. Not only did he avoid some major damage this way, but he also took the opportunity to improve his HVAC system.
Installing a high-efficiency boiler
Instead of replacing the boiler with a comparable model, the homeowner opted for a new high-efficiency unit. Since he was renting the property, paying less for oil would cut his expenses.
After going over some options, the owner went with a new Biasi B10-4 oil boiler. It offers him quite few advantages over the old one.
First off, once any heater is more than 15 years old, then getting a new one means an automatic improvement in energy efficiency.
As technology improves, new models require fewer resources to do the same job as older ones. As a unit gets older, it takes more energy — in this case, oil — to do the job. So even if you get a similar heater, you’ll notice lower heating expenses.
But in this case, the homeowner went the extra mile. His new Biasi unit does the same job using one-third of the water the old one required. This means it can even provide hot water faster than most new boilers. As a result, it takes less oil to heat the water.
With insulated plumbing and a new, sturdy boiler, this property owner and his tenants don’t need to worry about disaster striking any time again soon. And with the high-efficiency upgrade, the owner has fewer expenses on his rental property.
If you’re looking to improve your property’s HVAC system, or if you’re looking at a heating or cooling emergency, call ECI right away! Our professional, experienced techs can get to the bottom of any situation quickly and efficiently.
