This is I told you so heat setback thermos

[elkimmeg]

I did an inspection today for this builder whom I had done a prior inspection last fall.
I had forgot about last fall's inspection, but now remember the home. The guy buying the home worked in sprinklers.
HE decided his new home should have sprinklers and that he would install them. Well at some point while doing inspections there,
I noted the piping location looked mighty suspect to freezing. The builder assured me the owner was the expert sprinkler installer. He knew what he was doing. I questioned the locations again. and my concerns were repaled to the owner sprinkler installer. Something was said. that I should just stick to mechanical issues. Sprinklers are in my code but usually covered by the fire depts.

Well the sprinkler didnot freeze when it reached -7 a couple times, they froze when it was cold but only +5 cold Why?
The owner to save heat, swapped out his thermostat with a setback one, which changed the dymanics of constant heat. The setback shut down the heat long enough, finally the sprinkler pipes froze. The water damage restoration cost 65K.

There are other issues and precations, that have to be considered when changing home dymanics, such as wood/coal/ pellet stoves
I have seen kitchen sink pipes freeze inside the cabinets,bath pipes, and ice in tubs. After burning here for 30 years,I have dealt with freezing heating pipes 3 times. Finally I charged the system with antifreeze. I ran my stoves so effecient, I shut down the boiler too long. I all it takes is one sliver draft of cold air to find a pipe not circulating and you have a problem. Wood stoves with setback thermo and huge temps swings are a formular for pipes freezing. I have 30 years of experience in this house I know normal sounds of the boiler and things that do not sound right Your eays are the first sense to tell you something is wrong. Running water on a cold night without an explanation, is not what one wants to hear. Heating pipes banging loudly, are telling you something is wrong and they are near freezing. Rapid expansion and contraction causes the banging shaking when hot water hits real cold water in the heating pipes.

I'm telling you this, so that you think about all possibilities, that changes made have ramifications. Insulate all exposed pipes, draft proof sills, button up your home. Wide temp swings can cost a lot more than the cost of saving a couple gallons of oil.
Some know to crack their most remote fawcets knowing flowing water does not freeze as easilly. You have to think things threw

 

[ourhouse]

Nice heads up Elk thanks

 

[elkimmeg]

The builder is from franklin first name is Dennis

 

[ourhouse]

OOOHHHHH I know who you are talking about.

 

[Robbie]

Great advice elkimmeg, I don't know how many times I have told my grown kids and wife about this type stuff. You must open cabinets on very cold nights to allow heat to penetrate and warm pipes that may be close to walls.

You must keep in mind that mice and other critters often re-arrange insulation near pipe entry-exit holes which can result in a pipe freezing one year that has not ever frozen in the past years. This is because mice will dig and chew holes where ever they must to survive, and often this means a surprise for the home owner come cold weather.

All it takes is opening cabinets and make sure you have heat going under these areas, and maybe even open faucets like elkimmeg said.

This has nothing to do with freezing pipes, but one night a few years ago I was relaxing in my recliner when I heard a hissing sound behind me in the sheet rock wall, actually a wall under a set of stairs. I got up and put my head to the sheet rock and my heart almost stopped, I heard a bursted copper pipe under my steps, luckily I could get to it under the stairs to cut the sheet rock out, still what a mess.


Robbie