# Clogged PEX pipe??? BAFFLED...



## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

Three thoughts-
Obstruction such as a wood chip
Frozen line
Bad valve at the manifold

Blowing air through the line won't hurt it either. I'd blow from the sink to the disconnected line at the manifold


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## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

Or a small pebble...

Our last big project that we did, I was doing some final securing of the lines and getting ready to turn on the water, and lucky for me I noticed a pebble in the line right where I was going to secure it. I remember pulling that piece of pipe out of the bag in that room, and it was a brand new bag. A gift from the factory I suppose. :laughing:


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

The insulation was installed on the wrong side of the water lines.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

I would turn off the main water, cut the 3/4" manifold source pipe, open the valve on that line, and blow air backwards from the kitchen end. That covers a clog in the manifold. Or you could try cutting the kitchen source pipe at the manifold first and blow back through that.


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## mikegp (Jul 17, 2011)

Is that an exterior wall? What have your outside temps been like the last few days? Did you properly insulate the wall? 

I'd guess frozen pipe, but we need more info.


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## Ghostmaker (Mar 2, 2013)

My money is its frozen. Never run water in outside walls is a good rule of thumb to follow. Unless you live in tropical states.


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## mikegp (Jul 17, 2011)

On the bright side, pex is less likely to rupture from freezing. So when it thaws you may not have a small river in your house. Though it is more likely to leak in general.


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## gbwillner (Dec 14, 2008)

mikegp said:


> Is that an exterior wall? What have your outside temps been like the last few days? Did you properly insulate the wall?
> 
> I'd guess frozen pipe, but we need more info.


Thanks for all the help everyone. The insulation in general is behind the pipes, but there were areas where that was not possible. That is the exterior wall- this is a 105 year-old house that previously had no insulation.


adult image

Right at the "T" it appears that the pipe is behind the insulation, so it is possible that it is freezing since I am in St. Louis and we've had record lows for the last few weeks. It's been below 15 degrees since the water stopped flowing. Frankly, I never thought about this since previous to this remodel there was NO insulation at all and the lines never froze. But the insulation is a 2-way street, meaning it's warmer on this side of it and colder on the other side of it than before- and the freezing theory now seems to make the most sense.

I guess I should wait until it warms up again before doing anything. It is suppose to warm up starting tomorrow, and if it starts to flow, problem solved. I may consider cutting out the drywall and moving the pipe in front of the insulation. If it doesn't start flowing... I will start cutting pipe and blowing air!

Thanks. This is what it looks like now, BTW.....


screen shot on windows


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## gbwillner (Dec 14, 2008)

OK, Problem resolved.

Thanks again to everyone for their helpful suggestions. 

I went under the pipe, where I had some limited access in a closet in the finished basement, and simply turned on a hair dryer with the faucet open. A slow trickle started, and within a few minutes the water was freely flowing (with some initial ugly ice-banging noises).

Kudos to the DIY gang!


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

You're right - insulation is a 2-way street. You were paying a lot to keep those pipes warm before.

Beautiful new kitchen though.


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