"Jules Richardson" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:03:55 -0400, JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
I've always wondered if someone made some sort of holding tank that
could be installed in the basement. Big enough to hold water for 2-3
flushes. All it would need to do is "park" some water long enough for it
to come closer to room temperature. Even if the basement's not as warm
as the upstairs, it would usually still be warmer than the coldest
groundwater.

Yeah, that's not a bad idea, or at least a few coils as someone else
suggested. I've actually got around 60' of 3/4" copper that I'll be
pulling out of the house (feeds to old water-filled radiators that we no
longer need) - but that's only a little over a gallon if I have my
numbers right.

Sticking one of the old radiators on the outside wall of the house and
diverting water via that might work (after all, it's only a problem when
the weather's hot :-) but then I'd have to remember to bypass and drain
the darn thing during winter.

Adding some styrofoam seems like a cheap and quick solution and one that
needs no maintenance - it's just down to a question of how thick to make
it, how long it'll last, and what to attach it with.

cheers

Jules


Another potential problem with styrofoam is that is can displace just enough
water to keep the toilet from functioning correctly. If the water level's
already as high as it can be (based on the toilet's internals), there would
be no way to compensate for the lost water volume.