2-12-17
We have a sump pump under cabin #9. This morning we realized that it was not pumping anymore. After much investigation we found that the line had frozen. Now the question is – how far in the pipe and how thick is the ice?
We disconnected it at the first connection and it was pretty icy. I got some hot water hoping to melt through it and sucked the water out each time it thawed and then poured more hot water in. This method would take too long!
The blow dryer
The next attempt was to use a blow dryer. The blow dryer stopped working before the ice melted! A small wet dry vac helped suck the water out. I kept working on it and eventually, it thawed and the water flowed freely again.
We bought a heat tape to put on the water line coming out of the cabin. We don’t usually need a sump pump in the winter. The water table must be high this winter. We are going to need a new plan for the sump pump under cabin #9 for the winter of 2017/2018.
Now we are off to Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center for their winter Ski, Sleigh & Snow Festival. We are a little short on snow this year.
