wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

Appologies in advance - I am a total clueless newbie. I did try a
google search of the archieve, but no luck.
snipped.....

My initial thought was to use something like this
http://www.heatline.com/palprod.htm , but I was advised that if the
power went out (which it does from time to time), the heat would
dissipate quickly and things would freeze. So I might be better to
insulate the ceiling of the crawlspace and put a heat source down
there.

I am looking for any suggestions overall, but if the advice to heat the
crawlspace is right, what type of heating can/should I use, given that
it is going to be on a dirt floor (or maybe a sheet of metal or
something on a dirt floor) and will be left alone for a few weeks at a
time.

Is there a heater with a themostat that I can use in this application?
If so, presumably I would then insulate the ceiling of the crawlspace.

Sorry for the long question.

Regards,

Gideon

What type of heater are you thinking of? An electric one faces the same
issues
as using heat tape (ie. lose power, things cool off). I've done this.
I installed a drain at the lowest point of my system. When I leave, I turn
off
the main, open the drain, and fill all my sinks/toilet/drains with RV
antifreeze.
I have heat tape/insulation on all the lines under the cabin for when we are
up there
but I haven't had an issue yet. The added benefit to just shutting the
water off
is you eliminate the potential for a burst line or leak (I've got a
washer/dryer) when I'm not there.
HTH
Cheers,
cc