Kay and I went over to East Cambs this morning to find the temperature much lower than Mid Suffolk. At home we had a dusting of snow but around Ely, the frost was still very hard and at least 6" of snow was still lying on the fields. I guessed the overnight temperature must have been in the region of minus 10-13 degrees C.
Inside Skylark, the temperature had dropped to minus 3 and, after, firing up the engine, we found the hot/cold pipes were frozen. So, the coal fire was lit, the central heating started, a small 230v electric fire aimed under the sink and a gas ring lit. Within about 10 minutes the thermometer read plus 3 degrees and continued to rise steadily. I 'teased' the taps and gradually they started to splutter and gurgle. After about 40 minutes, the temperature reached 16 degrees and the pipes were running as they should.
There were no sights or sounds of a broken pipe, presumably because we had caught it before any damage had been caused. The fact that all the pipes are plastic and have a certain amount of 'give', must have helped. And, of course, the pipe insulation I installed a few weeks ago would have been a vital element.
So, problem averted.
After a warming cup of coffee, we stoked the fire as much as we could and left Skylark to cope with whatever the weather throws at her tonight. The weather bods say it will stay cold for the rest of the week but the temperature will increase from the weekend. Maybe I'll pop over on Thursday to check things out.
With a few hours of daylight left, we jumped into a very cold Land Rover and went down to Cambridge. The place looked beautiful in the snow.We are so lucky to have such fantastic places on our doorstep.
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