Where's the heat?!
The temperature outside wasn't as cold as it's been in the past, but there as a 55km/h wind whipping through the area that made it feel a lot colder. Adding to the problem is that wind also forces the cold air through the many cracks and gaps in the siding of the house. It's our plan to have the entire house wrapped in new exterior insulation and new siding sometime this year, but that's likely a few months away.
It seemed colder than usual in the kitchen this morning, and when I checked the radiators they were cold. Uhoh... Despite the thermostat calling for heat, there was no water flowing through the pipes. At first I suspected a bad connection, or perhaps a fault with the zone valve. As time progressed however, it became apparent that the problem was a frozen pipe. By checking the system in a reverse series of steps, I was able to narrow the possible area down. Naturally, it was in an area full of stuff. The only plus to that was that I had planned to clear that area out today anyway, and this was going to make sure the job got done! It took a couple of hours, but I was able to get a clear working space.
I had to remove a few ceiling panels to get to the pipes (all of these panels have to be tossed anyway, so no problems there), and sure enough the pipe in that area was ice-cold. I could feel warmth in one section, and then it gradually cooled down until it was ice-cold. I used an electric heat-gun to thaw out the pipe, and was rewarded a few minutes later with the sound of water moving through it. Once the blockage was cleared the hot water from the boiler quickly thawed out any residual ice that might have been inside. Thankfully it didn't freeze hard enough to cause any further bursting of the pipes.
The culprit behind all this was the new programmable thermostat. I had it programmed to cool down to 16.5c at night, but it seems it was staying warm enough that there was no call for heat for most of the night. While the rest of the house was warm, the area where the pipes are was below freezing, and thus they froze. A call for heat prior to freezing would have eliminated the problem, so I've reprogrammed the thermostat to not go lower than 18c. Hopefully that will create enough demand for heat to keep the system running smoothly. Eventually we're going to have to do a proper flush-and-fill on the system and get a proper glycol mixture in there. There was no point in doing that earlier, as the system requires a fairly extensive overhaul anyway. Pure-water systems can work, so long as there's enough demand for heat to keep the pipes from freezing. By next Fall though, I want this system overhauled and properly freeze-proofed.
Other than that, the day went fairly smoothly. The truck and trailer are ready for the trip back to Calgary, and I've just got to get some laundry done to get myself ready. The other plus is that at least part of the downstairs is now a lot neater than it was this morning. ;)