Toller wrote:
The cottage is in upstate NY.
The pipes are 1/2" copper. The cottage is built on piers, so the plumbing
is all exposed to the elements; but being in deep woods, there is rarely
much wind.

This time of year the highs are about 55 and the lows are 40, so the cottage
interior is usually about 47.

But last night there was a frost advisory, so there was a chance the
temperature would hit 32. Given the precision of the weather forecast, that
means there is a chance it would hit 30 for a few hours.

So my question is basically, if they forecast is for a low of 30, are my
exposed pipes likely to freeze?
If not, what overnight low temperature do I have to be concerned about?

I broke down and drained the pipes today, so it is not actually an issue for
this year; but I will go through the same thing next year. A couple years
ago I actually started to insulate the pipes and add heat tape, but then it
occured to me that if I had a leak, finding it and fixing it would be 10
times as hard; so I abandoned the project.



Doubtful that it would freeze to the point of doing damage. But if it
is going to be vacant for months there is no good reason to leave the
water turned on. The lines might break from some other reason. Just
turn it off. If draining the pipes is a lot of work, don't bother.