frozen water lines

[starmac]

It is funny, but all my life growing up and living in Texas and New Mexico, we left water running and fought frozen lines during cold spells, but since moving to Alaska, just haven't had that problem.

A few years ago I moved a trailer house and set it up for a lady friend of ours. This park even has the water supply line laying on top of the ground, and she has never froze up, even with temps down to - 60 one year.

It really doesn't cost much to set them up to where they will not freeze, we just never did it down south, so put up with frozen pipes.
If a house sits vacant for a winter, or even just a partial winter, that is a whole nother ball game though, everything freezes and BUSTS.

[Magicman]

We had to leave the Cabin and come home this morning because of freeze up.  Not the Cabin but the rural water system.   

They just painted the tank so I have no idea why anything would freeze.       :

[47sawdust]

starmac,
I'm having a hard time understanding why the water line didn't freeze at -60°.What am I missing?

[starmac]

That water line that is laying on the ground is insulated with a heat tape inside the insulation. It is nothing fancy or expensive, just the sticks of pipe insulation that lowes, home depo, etc carries.
The heat tape is thermostatically controlled, so can be left plugged in year round.

[47sawdust]

starmac,
Thanks,must get expensive running that heat tape.
I've got a gravity feed spring that I leave running through the winter.Unless we have an open winter (no snow) it doesn't freeze.I have had freeze ups with no snow,a wall paper steamer and a long piece of hard plastic tube works to get it thawed.I hate being w/o running water.

[starmac]

The heat tape barely pulls any juice, after the initial cost the cost is minimal.
I have seen folks use small pressure cookers and a roll of plastic air line, just using a hand held propane torch for heat to thaw long pipes.

[Woodcutter_Mo]

 I'm glad we dont see -60 degrees here, I have a frozen water line from last night at just -3 degrees. And it was the hot water line to boot  :-\ Forgot to leave the faucet in the kitchen dripping last night.

[starmac]

It always seemed to me like the hot water froze first.

[snowstorm]

Pex can stand freezing. Well sometimes.i looked at a repo a couple years ago that went 1 winter without heat. I pressure tested the plumbing and it was ok. Another repo I bought had pvc a lot of that broke. The one place they always brake the shower head