Quote:
Originally Posted by mike[_22_]
When should homeowners be alert to the danger of freezing pipes? That depends, but in southern states and other areas where freezing weather is the exception rather than the rule (and where houses often do not provide adequate built-in protection), the temperature alert threshold is 20°F.
|
I fully understand that in some parts of your country, "winter" is when you put on a sweater before going outside.
But, I don't understand why architects can't design homes where the potable water supply piping always runs up through interior walls so that people don't have to be concerned about their pipes cracking the odd time the temperature does drop below 20 deg. F.
Alternatively, why not fasten electric heating cables to those pipes and insulate the assembly to eliminate that risk? You could have a switch somewheres that turns on the power to those heating cables, and a thermostat on each cable that maintains the temperature of the pipe at 45 deg. F, say, for good economy.
It just seems to me that the cost of preventing the pipes from freezing is small, but the cost of repairing water damage from a cracked water pipe is large, so why not spend a little bit up front to avoid paying a lot later on down the road.