Hi,
I have pipes that are in this little "box" along my outside wall of my
house.. when the temp drops to like -10 below (like we just had the
other night here in PA) the hot water froze... not much... I brought the
house up to 70 and popped some flashing off the bottom of the wall, and
ran a fan there and it defroze in a bit... but still.. is there anything
I can do (aside from ripping the wall out and putting insulation in.. or
letting water run) to help this from freezing?

As aside note.. why did the hot water freeze before the cold? Or was it
just a coincidence?

On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 16:18:31 -0500, Matt wrote:

Hi,
I have pipes that are in this little "box" along my outside wall of my
house.. when the temp drops to like -10 below (like we just had the
other night here in PA) the hot water froze... not much... I brought the
house up to 70 and popped some flashing off the bottom of the wall, and
ran a fan there and it defroze in a bit... but still.. is there anything
I can do (aside from ripping the wall out and putting insulation in.. or
letting water run) to help this from freezing?

As aside note.. why did the hot water freeze before the cold? Or was it
just a coincidence?

If you don't want to insulate, running the water is about your only
choice. You could try a lamp for some heat, but you need to be careful
you don't start a fire. The hot water pipes always freeze before the
cold. Someone explained that to me once, but I forgot the reason.

Dick wrote:
The hot water pipes always freeze before the
cold. Someone explained that to me once, but I forgot the reason.

http://www.freep.com/news/weather/weahome/pipes.htm

I believe I could blow insulation into the area... it's basically a
"box" on the side of the wall.. my only concern is.. if I blow
insulation in there... is it going to insulate FROM the heat as well? I
don't know that I can be very descriminatory about which side of the
pipe the insulation goes on.. or is the best bet to tear the wall off
and put pink panther in there?

Matt ) wrote:
: I believe I could blow insulation into the area... it's basically a
: "box" on the side of the wall.. my only concern is.. if I blow
: insulation in there... is it going to insulate FROM the heat as well? I
: don't know that I can be very descriminatory about which side of the
: pipe the insulation goes on.. or is the best bet to tear the wall off
: and put pink panther in there?

Just an idea - you could buy pipe heater tape and "fish" it alongside
the pipes. This is electrical heater tape with a thermostat. Then,
blow in insulation, if you want.

--- Chip

Just an idea - you could buy pipe heater tape and "fish" it alongside
the pipes. This is electrical heater tape with a thermostat. Then,
blow in insulation, if you want.

--- Chip


I've read about that and it's a possibility.. where do you purchase
that, however? I don't see it on Lowe's website, for instance.

Matt wrote:
Hi,
I have pipes that are in this little "box" along my outside wall of my
house.. when the temp drops to like -10 below (like we just had the
other night here in PA) the hot water froze... not much... I brought the
house up to 70 and popped some flashing off the bottom of the wall, and
ran a fan there and it defroze in a bit... but still.. is there anything
I can do (aside from ripping the wall out and putting insulation in.. or
letting water run) to help this from freezing?


Letting the water run is a very cheap solution, both in money
and material terms. It only takes a trickle to prevent freezing,
so for well less than bathtub's worth of water, you can save the
hassle and expense of a frozen or broken pipe.

--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=
Mike Lacy, Ft Collins CO 80523
Clean out the 'junk' to email me.

In article ,
Charles H. Buchholtz wrote:

Just an idea - you could buy pipe heater tape and "fish" it alongside
the pipes. This is electrical heater tape with a thermostat. Then,
blow in insulation, if you want.

I wouldn't. The tape would not be effective unless it is wrapped around
the pipe, or at least taped to the pipe. Just hanging nearby would be
useless.

--
Rich Greenberg Marietta, GA, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 770 321 6507
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, husky Owner:Chinook-L
Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

Matt ) wrote:

: Just an idea - you could buy pipe heater tape [...]

: I've read about that and it's a possibility.. where do you purchase
: that, however? I don't see it on Lowe's website, for instance.

I bought mine at Home Depot. I found it on both Lowes and Home Depot
web sites by searching for "pipe heat cable". I haven't used it, but
it seemed like a possible solution for your problem.

If you insulate, make sure that there's no insulation between the
pipes and the heat cable. The thermostat (at one end of the heating
element) would need to be pressed against the pipe.

--- Chip