Winter at Shadowlands and frozen pipes!
By ptarotuos
16 comments
Dear All,
Well, after a pleasant Christmas in the UK and Paris, I finally got back up to Shadowlands for the first time this year. In mid December the frosts had started, but I was still a little skeptical about how cold it was going to get. Now I know.
The usual train and bus ride didn’t hint of any wintery precipitation, but as we climbed, a dusting here and there indicated that there had been some snowfall. Higher the bus crawled, until my stop. From there it is a half hour hike to test the calves. I made it puffing, and my was it cold. As I reached our road, the snow showed itself much more. Cleared to the side by the ploughs. Our driveway was a picture: about 3/4" of snow, virgin and untouched. Silence hung around the mountain, and it was gorgeous. The only tracks on the driveway (before my size 10s) were boar tracks (see photo). I hesitated to destroy the scene, but it was too cold to hang about.
At the back of my mind I had vaguely been contemplating whether I could still whack the fence in, but one sight of it all told me what a stupid idea that was. The ground is like rock, and presumably will remain completely frozen until the spring. So, folks, direct gardening related blog entries will be few and far between for a few months, but I am still going up there from time to time, and trying to do anything I can.
The pleasant return was rebuffed by a huge headache: frozen pipes. Not having owned a property in such a zone before, clearly I did something wrong before I went on vacation. Water stubbornly refused to come out of any tap; the bowl and cistern of the toilet was frozen, even the onsen pipes were frozen. Aghhh! I had shut off the mains outside and drained the system as well as I could, but then it seems I had stupidly turned off some the taps. Evidently there was still some residual water in the pipes and its frozen! After several hours of waiting, heating the rooms up etc, I got the taps of one sink in the kitchen flowing; the washing machine taps working, the hot tap in the bathroom sink going (although it won’t drain), and that’s it! No bathroom, no toilet in take! Who would have thought such beauty could create such problems!
So, I shut the water off again and drained the system. Next weekend I’ll be there with anti-freeze, a hair dryer, and fingers crossed! Failing that, I am at a loss how to recover it. The other problem is that it is such a complex heating and pipe system that I have no idea where to start looking for the main frozen part. Oh, and when I entered the living room it was -4 for starters. The antiquated heating system did its best and got it up to 12 degrees, but the pump is on its last legs, and I hardly felt the heart to crank it up to max! The new roof is being started mid-week (despite the temperatures): its a case of rather them than me!
Please enjoy the three pics. I’ll let you know whether water ever flows again this side of spring, and if possible blog about gardening again soon. Thanks for your indulgence everyone.
ptarotuos
16 Jan, 2011
4 likes
Previous post: Building Cold Frames at Shadowlands
Next post: A cache of gardening tools
Comments
Your photos are lovely just a shame your having trouble with the water issue hope it sorts it self out eventually for you.
16 Jan, 2011
Lovely photo`s Ptaro, don`t blame you letting someone else fix the roof, some jobs are best left to the experts, hopefully on your next visit all the pipes will have thawed for you, and you will have all the comforts again........
16 Jan, 2011
Wow how lovely it looks but sorry to hear of all your problems I am sure it will all work out and will be all the more loved once mended. It looks fab to me and i cant wait to see more. keep smiling the horrid cold will soon admit defeat and wow it will be amazing.
16 Jan, 2011
i love that silence that snow brings, its incredible ~ but its not nice having frozen pipes ~ can you set a thermostat to frost setting? i think it would come on when the temperature drops below 3 or something?
16 Jan, 2011
Thanks for the comments everyone, and especial thanks to new commenters. The pipes are a real problem, because I doubt it will get above 3 degrees for the rest of the winter. Also, the boiler and heating system is antiquated (original to the house I think - or shortly after). There is no thermostat as such, just a high or low temp setting. The boiler is a boiler room, the pump etc in a separate room. It used to run solely on the 'onsen' water - the hot spring water - but was changed to oil. Happily it seems to be working (though the pump is on the wane). I was able to get the room temp. up to 12 degrees after several hours on max! The water pipes are extensive, but I have no idea where, they also run to the studio somewhere. There is lagging around most, but it's bitter. If I can get it all thawed and working, I think I now know the process of shutting down when we are not there. The thing is we are relocating there from Tokyo in March, and need the toilet etc working! That said, its all very beautiful, and I can't wait to start building some Victorian-style cold frames I have designed. Best, ptarotuos
17 Jan, 2011
it will be fantastic but i can understand how difficult it must seem some days. have to have a party and get everyone to put some of that pipe insulation on ~ the one thats made of grey foam ~ each person follows one pipe ~ be like going round a maze!!!?
17 Jan, 2011
Ptarotuos...your post reminded me of the days when we would return to the city from our Island property and my dad would have to drain all the water system before we left...frozen pipes are not fun! I am sure with your determined efforts you will find the solution and if you are going to be living there permanently after March you will have more constant heating which will surely help. Good luck in sorting it all out.
The property looks idyllic with the snow on the ground. I suppose like the rest of us....we can't wait for spring and milder days and for you, the opportunity to get your fencing started when the ground is no longer frozen. Thanks for the update.
17 Jan, 2011
I hope you get your pipes unfrozen with no leaks Ptaro. My tip re the toilet bowl next time is to add a few big handfuls of ordinary table salt to the bowl and give it a good stir around. It lowers the freezing point of the water so should protect it. Much more environmentally friendly than using antifreeze - which is a consideration if you're not on mains drainage. We have a cess pit - if you have one too you need to keep it in a working condition by not putting chemicals in it that it can't deal with.
Good luck with the Big Thaw!
17 Jan, 2011
Hope you water thaws out soon but lovely photos
17 Jan, 2011
A brief update. Finally got the water running again yesterday, and discovered a water release valve at the back of the house used to drain the system when leaving the house for more than a few days. A great relief! ptarotuos
23 Jan, 2011
thats good news. have you still got all that snow?
23 Jan, 2011
Thats good Ptaro. good to know you can leave the house safe and sound.
23 Jan, 2011
Yes Stickitoffee, the snow is still present. It is just powdered ice crystals now. My son was most disappointed not to be able to make a snow man because it doesn't stick together. I guess it just remains and accumulates until the spring. Regards, ptarotuos
24 Jan, 2011
Great news that you've found the release valve which should make your winter freeze much more tolerable. Too bad about the lack of suitable snow for making a snowman. Did your son get to make a snowman while in the UK at Christmas?
24 Jan, 2011
poor little son ~ its so disappointing when its the wrong kind of snow
24 Jan, 2011
Featured on
Recent posts by ptarotuos
- 'Kurume' Azaleas in full bloom at Shadowlands
18 May, 2015
- Volcanic Activity around Shadowlands - Owakudani
10 May, 2015
- Two surprises in the Garden: Japanese White-eye and Pipe Plant
30 Jun, 2014
- Return to Shadowlands
25 Jun, 2014
- Snowed in at Shadowlands (photos)
11 Feb, 2014
- Completely snowbound at Shadowlands, but thinking of Spring!
8 Feb, 2014
Members who like this blog
-
Gardening with friends since
8 Apr, 2010 -
Gardening with friends since
22 Oct, 2008 -
Gardening with friends since
10 Sep, 2010 -
Gardening with friends since
29 Mar, 2008
Hi Ptarotous, sorry to hear about your water problem but I suppose it was inevitable in all that cold weather. we had the same here and our top tank froze, we had no running water for three days and then the garden pipe burst, This has never happened to us in the 38 years that we have been in this house. I am sure after the thaw, your water will be running freely and you can begin to trace the problem. All the best.
16 Jan, 2011