Pipes and freezing.

[MikeD74T]

I've have an electrician friend that does gas station maintenance & pump installations. Frozen conduits are a common occurance because they run under plowed parking lots. He has a turkey fryer, a small 12 volt pump, and a spool of 1/4" air brake plastic tubing. Fires up the fryer to heat water & pumps into conduit. The tubing is semi rigid so it pushes easily into the conduit. Quick & easy. Sometimes he vacuums the water out thru the tubing but usually just leaves it in the conduit. MikeD74T

 

[pappy19]

We had a problem in Idaho one winter with cold temps and not much snow. We used straw and put 4-5 inches of straw on top of the ground above the pipes. When we did get snow, it helped to insulate the pipes. It didn't freeze all winter. For all the pipes, we let the water run a little most all winter. Sewer and water never froze.

 

[4720 OWNER]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Not running yet but will follow up later with some of them. I think the pipes are a little deep for the metal detector but obviously not deep enough for the frost line. Ran a tape down it and seems like it may be the drain field has froze on this particular line since there was no obstuction. Believe it or not found out this place was built with 2 drain fields, one for grey water and one for waste and when the waste one was plugged all the other water was changed over to the grey water field except for this one drain (basement shower). Like i have alluded to before this is a strange place.
But i really appreciate the helpful.

It has been suggested that maybe a bulldozer would be the best remodeling tool. Deere of course.