My washing machine is frozen

[MaineDem]

It's well below freezing in the cellar. Thankfully, the temps outside are above 10 for a change so maybe the old washer will defrost today.

[Raven]

1. Watch for a break in the line

or a crack in the machine after it's thawed out. Be careful when you use it again! :-)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

2. Bummer. Did your pipes freeze too?

It was bad here in Boston, but you guys in Northern New England really got hammered with the cold.

It was 40 degrees here yesterday, and it felt like Spring compared to what we've suffered through lately. It's supposed to be mid- to upper-30s today, and a chance of flurries to help the Pats win!

[Raven]

3. Hi Rose! We did get hammered but

it's a balmy 26 today. The oldtimers up here say they've never seen cold like this for such a long period of time.

[creativelcro]

6. yeah, amazing. Yesterday felt beautiful in Boston.

It teaches you how context affects how you perceive things... Just a month ago, yesterday would have seemed like a pretty crappy day... but after the last week or so...

[Kathy in Cambridge]

8. My parents say they only remember ONCE when it was this cold

1957 (I wasn't born).

We're wimps here in Boston, compared to Northern New Englanders and Midwesterners. People usually whine when it's in the 20s.

After the past two weeks, I have a whole new perspective on what's cold. I was amazed how much the human body will tolerate.

How much do you want a bet we will now have record heat and humidity this summer?

[Old and In the Way]

4. Check for small cracks or openings to the outside.

I used to live in an old farmhouse in Dexter. I had a rather porous foundation. My pipes would freeze, until I located the source....it was an exposed area where the cold air was hitting the pipes. The cheapest solution: get some pipe insulators. They are easy to install and will protect against freezing. Pipes will split, usually at 90 degree corners....and once they unthaw, look out....

[Odessey]

5. Mine did that last year

First time it ever happened to me. If you bend the hose that the water comes in thru, you may find the water frozen in it. I used a hairdryer and bent the hose down enough to get a loop of it in a bucket of warm water. Use the hair dryer where the hose attaches to the washer. It took a little time, but it worked. The ice in the hose melted, and I dis-engaged the hose to shake out the remainder of the ice. Also, if your dryer is nearby, and if it is an ELECTRIC dryer, turn it on and direct the exhaust hose under the back of the washer to warm it up from that direction. DON'T do this if it is a gas dryer.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

7. yikes mainedem...sorry to hear that.... is monday still wash day?

hope the temps go up soon...i have so much backed up laundry that one more day and i will be naked