Warning !!!

**NHYRNUT** · 01-27-2007, 07:06 PM

Just a little info. All those that like NH. If you have heat tape on your water pipes and it get's to -22 below zero the pipes still Freeze. Hard lesson learned. Basement still needs heat tape lol.

**MyAzi** · 01-27-2007, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHYRNUT

Just a little info. All those that like NH. If you have heat tape on your water pipes and it get's to -22 below zero the pipes still Freeze. Hard lesson learned. Basement still needs heat tape lol.

Did you learn that the hard way??????

**CandyApple** · 01-27-2007, 10:47 PM

Wait, does the heat tape cause or prevent the pipes from freezing?

When you say freeze, you mean "break and cause expensive damage", right? (Ooh, now I know what you mean, with the water *in* the pipes, not drained with the heat turned off. Sorry, read too many threads about the other way around lately! I was thinking, "Why would it matter if they freeze if there's no water in them?")

**NHYRNUT** · 01-27-2007, 11:07 PM

Yes Learned the hard way. LOL And heat tape is to keep the pipes from freezing Normally used in crawl spaces but being in Northern NH Well it is cold. so the basement will have heat come next winter. lol

**CandyApple** · 01-27-2007, 11:19 PM

Oh, oh, you mean you used the heat tape, but the pipes froze anyway? Sorry, my reading comprehension must be gone today.

**NHYRNUT** · 01-28-2007, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CandyApple

Oh, oh, you mean you used the heat tape, but the pipes froze anyway? Sorry, my reading comprehension must be gone today.

YES LOL

WannaComeHome · 01-29-2007, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHYRNUT

Just a little info. All those that like NH. If you have heat tape on your water pipes and it get's to -22 below zero the pipes still Freeze. Hard lesson learned. Basement still needs heat tape lol.

We've never had any luck with heat tapes - tried them, and the pipes burst anyway! We have one or two little ceramic heaters that we aim in the basement and just turn them on when it's going to be that cold. Makes the kitchen floor nice and warm, too!

**MyAzi** · 01-29-2007, 12:42 PM

you know I read this thread and wonder to myself... heat tape? basement ceramic heaters? i barely found out what a sump pump is... I am in a whole new world...

**the dufferz** · 01-29-2007, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WannaComeHome

We've never had any luck with heat tapes - tried them, and the pipes burst anyway! We have one or two little ceramic heaters that we aim in the basement and just turn them on when it's going to be that cold. Makes the kitchen floor nice and warm, too!

Expensive way to do it, though. Heat tape has it's limits, especially at an elbow where it goes up at an exterior wall. All it takes is one spot to freeze.

have you tried leaving a small stream of water running in the faucets?

In the Seattle area we don't have that much trouble with freezing. Overnight lows at the lowest is around 15 degrees and that is like for 3 days a year!

**the dufferz** · 01-29-2007, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyAzi

you know I read this thread and wonder to myself... heat tape? basement ceramic heaters? i barely found out what a sump pump is... I am in a whole new world...

hehehe there are quite a few people reading this who are saying "sump pump? what's a sump pump?" Ain't seattle grand!

**T.S.** · 01-29-2007, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the dufferz

hehehe there are quite a few people reading this who are saying "sump pump? what's a sump pump?" Ain't seattle grand!

We had one burn out during a big storm in the middle of the night in a Minnesota house. Wet basement floors are not fun to clean up in the morning.

**NHYRNUT** · 01-29-2007, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the dufferz

Expensive way to do it, though. Heat tape has it's limits, especially at an elbow where it goes up at an exterior wall. All it takes is one spot to freeze.

have you tried leaving a small stream of water running in the faucets?

In the Seattle area we don't have that much trouble with freezing. Overnight lows at the lowest is around 15 degrees and that is like for 3 days a year!

Go ahead rub it in LOL But ya we leave the water running at a tricle now. lol Don't know what a sump pump is. I looked at a house in Littleton NH ON a hill steep at that and it had a pool in the basement due to no sump pump. Swimming anyone? Now that's a spring.

WannaComeHome · 01-29-2007, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the dufferz

Expensive way to do it, though. Heat tape has it's limits, especially at an elbow where it goes up at an exterior wall. All it takes is one spot to freeze.

have you tried leaving a small stream of water running in the faucets?

Yep, tried that. froze anyway. Hubby was practicing whole new vocabulary crawling under the foundation to get at them. We've insulated that corner better and have the heaters. Don't need them all the time but that and insulation is the only thing that stopped the pipes bursting. And this is down in MD where it isn't below 0 !

And luckily we don't need a sump pump, just a de-humidifier

**T.S.** · 01-29-2007, 11:22 PM

Are these unheated basements? I grew up in Minnesota where it is very cold in the winter and never really heard of people dealing with water pipes bursting.

**the dufferz** · 01-29-2007, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T.S.

Are these unheated basements?

Basewhat's?

hehe. In washington very few homes have a traditional basement, but I hear that in places like min. it is common to have a heated basement, and not have those problems.

In our area we have "crawlspaces" where if something freezes you are crawling on your belly under the house. Yuck!

**T.S.** · 01-30-2007, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the dufferz

Basewhat's?

hehe. In washington very few homes have a traditional basement, but I hear that in places like min. it is common to have a heated basement, and not have those problems.

In our area we have "crawlspaces" where if something freezes you are crawling on your belly under the house. Yuck!

Yeah, almost every house in Minnesota has a basement of some sort which is heated with the rest of the house. They are not always fully underground, but most houses have one. Making the front side of the basement half or fully underground and the back side of the basement at ground level is popular right now. In some places developers will bring in a bunch of dirt to build the street and front side of the lots up higher so that can do that if the land is flat.

**CandyApple** · 01-30-2007, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Making the front side of the basement half or fully underground and the back side of the basement at ground level is popular right now. In some places developers will bring in a bunch of dirt to build the street and front side of the lots up higher so that can do that if the land is flat.

My grandma had a basement like that. I'd love to have one of those myself someday. Does it cost much to bring in the dirt?

**T.S.** · 01-30-2007, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CandyApple

My grandma had a basement like that. I'd love to have one of those myself someday. Does it cost much to bring in the dirt?

I am not sure of the cost. I have only lived where it was done for the entire development and was just included in the home prices. I think they usually just take the dirt from another part of the development and turn it into a drainage pond or something.

They did it at my parents old house, with a fully underground front and a ground level back. The land was originally a corn field, so it was fairly flat before development.

WannaComeHome · 01-30-2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the dufferz

In our area we have "crawlspaces" where if something freezes you are crawling on your belly under the house. Yuck!

Our basement is a glorified crawl space. I'm short, so if I stand up, the rafters just graze the top of my head - hubby has to stoop. The heater is down there, there's a little storage space down there. Some previous owner thought he'd make it a bigger basement and tried to dig out under the living room.... yeesh!

Unfortunately the corner that always froze is a northeast corner of the house that wasn't well protected. And it is a true crawl space. He would have to slide in on his back to work ont he pipe - no room to crawl in and turn. Oh he made noises!

The trickle trick didn't necessarily work because the washer is the last item on the loop, and we can't leave a drip of water running in it. Actually, there were times that even a trickle from the sinks froze - we'd have to have left it running, which still might not have worked. We like the foam pipe insulation.

**Wyoming53** · 01-30-2007, 11:59 AM

NHYRNUT,

Just curious how you are putting on your heat tape. The reason I ask is I live in Wyoming and have a crawl space under my house that is exposed to the elements. I have heat tape on my pipes and I've seen -40 and I've not had a bit of problem. Might be that your following directions on the package and that never works. haha

**Wyody** · 01-30-2007, 12:33 PM

Just a note to those using the foam pipe-insulation: If you use a heat source to keep the area warm - be sure to expose some pipe so the heat can reach it!!
Also, if you don't have the frost-guard spigots on the outside of your house - think about doing that before next winter.

**NHYRNUT** · 01-30-2007, 05:13 PM

Even with foan you still want heat tape. And yesa I followed the Directions. SILLY ME. Those that don't know what a crawl space is think Mobile home on blocks that's what they have is crawl spaces under them. they just skirt them so you don't see the blocks. Those of us without mobile homes and no basements no what crawl spaces are. LOL Mostley Skunk, Rattle snake, Possum and anyother creature that wants a home infested. lol But you still have to crawl in them to do the work. WOOHOO

01-27-2007, 07:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
NHYRNUT Pain at it's best Join Date: Dec 23rd, 2006 Location: NH Posts: 516	Warning !!! Just a little info. All those that like NH. If you have heat tape on your water pipes and it get's to -22 below zero the pipes still Freeze. Hard lesson learned. Basement still needs heat tape lol.

01-27-2007, 10:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
CandyApple Back Online! Join Date: Dec 23rd, 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 313	Re: Warning !!! Wait, does the heat tape cause or prevent the pipes from freezing? When you say freeze, you mean "break and cause expensive damage", right? (Ooh, now I know what you mean, with the water in the pipes, not drained with the heat turned off. Sorry, read too many threads about the other way around lately! I was thinking, "Why would it matter if they freeze if there's no water in them?")

01-27-2007, 11:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
NHYRNUT Pain at it's best Join Date: Dec 23rd, 2006 Location: NH Posts: 516	Re: Warning !!! Yes Learned the hard way. LOL And heat tape is to keep the pipes from freezing Normally used in crawl spaces but being in Northern NH Well it is cold. so the basement will have heat come next winter. lol

01-27-2007, 11:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
CandyApple Back Online! Join Date: Dec 23rd, 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 313	Re: Warning !!! Oh, oh, you mean you used the heat tape, but the pipes froze anyway? Sorry, my reading comprehension must be gone today.

01-29-2007, 12:42 PM	#8 (permalink)
MyAzi Slave to Sir Azi Join Date: Jan 14th, 2007 Location: Western Washington Posts: 1,306	Re: Warning !!! you know I read this thread and wonder to myself... heat tape? basement ceramic heaters? i barely found out what a sump pump is... I am in a whole new world... __________________ FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY

01-29-2007, 11:22 PM	#14 (permalink)
T.S. Member Join Date: Oct 12th, 2006 Location: MN to NC to FL to MN Posts: 709	Re: Warning !!! Are these unheated basements? I grew up in Minnesota where it is very cold in the winter and never really heard of people dealing with water pipes bursting.

01-30-2007, 11:59 AM	#20 (permalink)
Wyoming53 Hermit Join Date: Jan 21st, 2007 Location: Sheridan, Wy. Posts: 1,522	Re: Warning !!! NHYRNUT, Just curious how you are putting on your heat tape. The reason I ask is I live in Wyoming and have a crawl space under my house that is exposed to the elements. I have heat tape on my pipes and I've seen -40 and I've not had a bit of problem. Might be that your following directions on the package and that never works. haha

01-30-2007, 12:33 PM	#21 (permalink)
Wyody arrgh, me buckoes Join Date: Jan 14th, 2007 Posts: 2,142	Re: Warning !!! Just a note to those using the foam pipe-insulation: If you use a heat source to keep the area warm - be sure to expose some pipe so the heat can reach it!! Also, if you don't have the frost-guard spigots on the outside of your house - think about doing that before next winter.

01-30-2007, 05:13 PM	#22 (permalink)
NHYRNUT Pain at it's best Join Date: Dec 23rd, 2006 Location: NH Posts: 516	Re: Warning !!! Even with foan you still want heat tape. And yesa I followed the Directions. SILLY ME. Those that don't know what a crawl space is think Mobile home on blocks that's what they have is crawl spaces under them. they just skirt them so you don't see the blocks. Those of us without mobile homes and no basements no what crawl spaces are. LOL Mostley Skunk, Rattle snake, Possum and anyother creature that wants a home infested. lol But you still have to crawl in them to do the work. WOOHOO