MLD wrote:
"TomR" wrote in message
...
I own a property (a house) that is vacant and mostly gutted at this
point, and it is essentially a shell on the upper floors. But, just
recently, thieves broke into the ground-level basement and stole all
of the copper plumbing.

The house has hot water cast iron radiator heat, and what they took
was all of the large copper heating pipes and the regular copper
water pipes from the basement, and the small amount of 1/2-inch
copper water pipe that was left on the empty first floor. All of
the remaining pipes are the old threaded iron pipes and they left
them as-is. At this point, since winter is approaching, my plan is to
just drain
all of the water from all lines, the hot water heater and boiler,
the cast iron radiators etc., and "winterize" the property so that
nothing breaks during sub-freezing temperatures. The house does
have electricity, but the water will be completely shut off at the
curb. My question is about the small piece of pipe for the main water
supply line that will be left and that comes into the basement from
the outside through the basement floor. Here are two photos of what
is there now: http://i46.tinypic.com/207ugr7.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/2qkm2bp.jpg

The thieves shut off the main water valve, disconnected the copper
from the water meter, and took all of the copper from that point
forward. The main water valve is old and doesn't completely shut
off, so a lot of water came in, but it's an unfinished basement with
a floor drain so not much got water damaged.

After the theft, I took off the water meter and capped the main
water line for now. My plan is to shut off the main water valve at
the street, install a new 3/4-inch shut-off ball valve with a
stop-and-waste port, and put the water meter back on.



My concern is about the small amount of pipe and the water meter
that will be on the inside of the property during the winter with no
heat in the building.

Here's my question:

If I put a stop-and-waste ball valve in the vertical water supply
line a few inches above the floor, then put the water meter back on,
keep the water turned off at the street, and open the drain port on
the valve and leave the valve open, will that keep the supply line
and water meter from freezing and cracking during the winter?

As a backup precaution, I also will either wrap the pipe with a
plugged-in pipe heater line and/or create some other kind of heat
source for that short piece of pipe such as by using an incandescent
lightbulb (maybe inside a small insulated box/space covering the
pipe). Does that plan sound okay? Any other ideas or suggestions that I
should consider?

Thanks.

If one end is open-, is this doeable---- get as much water out of the
open pipe as possible. Then put RV anti freeze into the lines.

Good idea. I'll probably do that too as an additional precaution. It would
be easy to do and the cost is minimal.