Weird water going on in the upstairs bath in a house built around 1920. Toilet flushes fine (with water refilling tank) and cold water runs fine in tub, but in tub the hot water trickles only, and in the sink (about 3-4 feet across from tub--it's a small bathroom), the hot and cold water are trickling. The hot water is actually about normal temp, but just at a trickle. This just started about 36 hours ago with frigid outdoor temps. Might this be frozen pipes?

Not sure of the path of the water pipes going upstairs. (The plumbing lines in this place are crazy.) The bathroom floor is always freezing during winter and all the pipes come/go from the floor, not the wall.

I've had the heat cranked up in the bath and the trickle has increased a bit, but not much (especially not at tub). Faucets have been turned on for about 24 hours. No way to get a hair dyer on the pipes (shut off valves are right at the floor), and I'm at a loss.

YOu may have some other problem, because once the water starts to trickle, especially hot water, it thaws in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

Hmmmm...any suggestions?

I have a water meter in the basement (this is the water meter the water company uses to record my usage), and it has a little indicator that moves when any amount of water is being used. If I shut off all the taps in the house, the indicator doesn't move. Water turned on even at a trickle causes the indicator to move. That would be a good indicator that there's not a cracked pipe somewhere, spurting water, right?

(I should also note, there's not any other signs of leaking water--no soft or wet walls/floors/ceilings below, no odd sounds, no visible signs of water, etc.)

quote; Water turned on even at a trickle causes the indicator to move. That would be a good indicator that there's not a cracked pipe somewhere, spurting water, right?


Actually, if ALL the faucets are turned OFF, that WOULD be an indication that something, possibly a broken pipe, is leaking.

Gah, that's what I meant. It's been a hugely stressful day and at this point, all I can imagine are dollar signs (huge ones) dancing around before this is done with.

All water turned off, the indicator does not move. Water turned on to just a trickle does cause the indicator to move.



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msmary, there is not much you can do to thaw them when the pipes are frozen in an inaccessable area. you are doing the right thing by worrying, asking advice here keeping the heat up and maintaining a constant watch over the situation.
one thing is to make sure you know where the main shutoff is located. there will be one at the water meter. try it to make sure it works. in case there is a broken pipe you can shut the water and get it fixed.
good luck....

Quite possibly you were frozen overnight, thawed out, and debris has washed from the pipes into the faucets/aerators, etc. Try removing the aerator on the sink faucet and see what you get there.

Long story, short. I unscrewed the aerator on the bathroom sink, and there were rust particles from the pipes in there. Cleared it out and the sink is working perfectly.

Now, I need to clear out the hot water, but how can I do this? The hot and cold water handles are seperate like this [www.plumbingsupply.com]--not this brand, just this type of set up.

How can I do this?

is it possible the hot water side is still frozen?