New furnace - A Tale of Two Winters

[CaptainHaplo]

That was a hyphen. It was 18 degrees F and its under the house. Most heat tape has a built in thermostat, apparently that died and so never gave juice to the wiring. But I got lucky, the piping didn't burst, so once it was thawed out I was back in business. A couple of heat lamps and the tape got me going. The hardest part was once the water was on - I really didn't want to go back down and crawl in just to reinsulate it - I could have waited but I procrastinate on enough stuff - didn't want it hanging over my head.

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

That was a hyphen. It was 18 degrees F and its under the house. Most heat tape has a built in thermostat, apparently that died and so never gave juice to the wiring. But I got lucky, the piping didn't burst, so once it was thawed out I was back in business. A couple of heat lamps and the tape got me going. The hardest part was once the water was on - I really didn't want to go back down and crawl in just to reinsulate it - I could have waited but I procrastinate on enough stuff - didn't want it hanging over my head.

Whew! You dodged a bullet there, replacing heat tape is one thing, replacing pipes, bad. Still, I feel for you, 18 and crawling under the house is no fun. I wish I lived where they have basements, always wished I had a basement.

[August]

You southerners might not be aware this old swamp yankee trick so JIC i'll mention it here:

If you fear your pipes are going to freeze, crack open your faucet and let it drip. Moving water doesn't freeze as easily as still water and you can save off freezing for a lot longer than if the pipe is completely closed off.