DIY & Home Improvement

IrishAyes

(6,151 posts)

4. Well, even with great insulation, if cabinet doors are shut, the interior will be colder than the

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 10:33 PM

Dec 2013

room. This only matters if there are pipes involved of course. No need to worry about dish cabinets! I even prop the dishwasher door open a crack at night in winter. Of course you'll have a lot less trouble if you heat your house the way so many people do, til it resembles a sauna. But then that's bad for your health. Cold houses breed fewer germs. My son refused to wear long sleeves indoors or out unless temps fell to 55, and even then he didn't have goose bumps. He was skinny, too. So it wasn't personal insulation. More likely good circulation.

I'd highly suggest you forego one popular rural method: piling straw around the perimeter of the house. Yes, it helps with insulation but it also attracts all sorts of critters. Not worth it. Fire hazard too. Mold, etc.

One thing you might want to invest in for outdoor faucets; those devices that prevent the water from being sucked back into the pipes as you're turning off the faucet. Maybe it's overkill, but it can't hurt either. Good for you, remembering to insulate the outdoor faucets.

Hope you enjoy colder climes. It's heat that I can't take. You can always put on enough clothes to be warm w/o getting arrested...

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Any good green ideas on what to do about frozen drain pipe for washing machine? [View all] IrishAyes Dec 2013 OP

In this case, the heat tape is all that will do it Warpy Dec 2013 #1

I've resisted for years, but feel my resolve fading fast. IrishAyes Dec 2013 #3

I don't have any advice on the drain but wonder if you could explain beac Dec 2013 #2

Well, even with great insulation, if cabinet doors are shut, the interior will be colder than the IrishAyes Dec 2013 #4

We definitely aren't overheaters! beac Dec 2013 #8

Since you say you're new to colder climes, IrishAyes Dec 2013 #12

Yeah, heat tape seems to be most likely bet. X_Digger Dec 2013 #5

Along with everything else, since I can poke a broom handle all the way down the part of the drain IrishAyes Dec 2013 #6

Well, rather than trying to insulate the whole crawlspace, you could.. X_Digger Dec 2013 #7

That's a fantastic idea. Could you recommend someone desperate enough for $ to IrishAyes Dec 2013 #9

Well, you'd have to get someone up under there to do the heat tape, too. X_Digger Dec 2013 #10

I was about to write a potential apology if my comment might've sounded snippy. IrishAyes Dec 2013 #11

No worries! I hate crawlspaces too, hehe. X_Digger Dec 2013 #13

For some unfathomable reason, I've always managed to avoid deliberately being IrishAyes Dec 2013 #15

Another alternative, though probably slower, would be a submersible aquarium heater. X_Digger Dec 2013 #16

That would be safer than an immersion heater, wouldn't it? IrishAyes Dec 2013 #18

Yup, sure would. X_Digger Dec 2013 #19

You should only have to worry about the trap. jeff47 Dec 2013 #14

Thanks for all that great info. As you can imagine, I'm no expert. But I love to learn. IrishAyes Dec 2013 #17

One thing you can do temporarily jeff47 Dec 2013 #20

I'd heard of nontoxic 'natural' car antifreeze but didn't know RV antifreeze was nontoxic. IrishAyes Dec 2013 #21

Yep, it's propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol. (nt) jeff47 Dec 2013 #22