frozen pipes

[William]

I am thinking about purchasing a 1984 Marlette MH 14x67. I looked at it today and had the owner turn the water on. When he did this water was shooting out of the pipe that connects into the home. I also seen water dripping from the insulation above one of the bathrooms. I guess my question is how expensive can it be to replace water lines? How do I know if all the lines need to be replaced? I guess I should also tell you that this would be my first home and I have no experience with home improvement stuff. Please help me, I don't want to get ripped off!!!

[Roy T. Bonney]

When you first turn on the water in a home that has had frozen plumbing, the water you see is from the cold water line. Once the water heater fills up and pressureizes the lines, all the others will appear. It is very rare to ever have just one hole in a frozen line. Plan on replumbing the home. If the water lines were not winterized, the drain plumbing probably was not either. Check to see if the bowls of the commodes are cracked. It also will push out the lines from the fittings under the sinks, etc. It is not a big job for an experienced person, 1 day, but will be both costly and time consuming for a novice.

[harv lak'e]

that;'s just one of the problems,you mention water coming out of the insulation,,until you pressurize the whole system(water heater etc) you wont know the extent of the damage done,,and it could be VERY expensive,mold,replacing insulation,water damaged particle board,hidden water pipes that have to have flooring ripped up to have access to,,the list goes on,,I know,I bought a fixer upper,, sometimes it seems like there is no end to repairs,,but its paid for,,good luck,p.s. it also helps if your handy,,labor prices can kill ya..chow