Frozen pipes?!?

[jumpink]

Last night the stove ran out of pellets and the house went down to 54 degrees. I have hot water baseboard and I have the thermostat to kick on at 65 degrees. I talked to a friend who repairs oil burners and he said it is very common for houses with pellet and wood stoves to have their baseboards freeze. Has anyone else had this problem? If I am using the pellet stove to heat my upstairs and there is no call for heat for the baseboard, how can I prevent the pipes from freezing?

 

[kofkorn]

Depends. I've seen people use timing relays in parallel to their thermostats. They kick on for 3-4 minutes every 15-20 min or so, just enough to move the water around and keep the pipes from freezing.

My parents heat with a wood stove. My dad was a plumber in his time and he always kept us from using the wood stove on the coldest nights due to pipe freezing. It didn't help that the house was built in the 1890's and didn't have a single roll of insulation through the entire place.

Another option is to keep your pellet stove just a bit lower than your heat requirement. It will keep your thermostat from kicking on so frequently, but it will still circulate once in a while.

good luck!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I'm confused how did your house get down to 54 if the furnace should have kicked in at 65? Do you get your DHW of the boiler?

ETA: I set my thermostats four degrees below where the stove normally keeps things, my DHW and the garage under are still off of the boiler. The garage rarely calls for heat. Haven't had any problems yet.

 

[kofkorn]

HI Smokey,

that's what happens when your pipes freeze, no heat, no matter the setting on your T-stat

To Kevin, If you are able to locate the area of the freeze, check for drafts you can seal. They are usually pretty obvious.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Add some kryoteck anti-freeze to your heating system. ;-)

 

[jumpink]

Problem is the pipes are in the floor above an unheated garage. I grabbed one of the pipes and it is very cold. I thought, mistakenly I guess, that if the house is warm, then there is no danger of the pipes freezing. Since there was no call for heat for some time, who knows how much of the pipes are frozen and for how long.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Hi kofkorn,

I can see how it can happen with pipes exposed to direct outside cold air, but you don't want to know what I think of heating systems that are installed in that manner.

 

[kofkorn]

I've got a similar situation on a new addition above my garage that I added a couple of years ago. I intentionally kept the pipe closer to the upstairs floor instead of the garage ceiling for the very reason you are seeing now. Added bonus is that when the heat is on, there's a nice warm strip in the floor

As Thundercat says, your best and easiest solution for this situation is some anti-freeze.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Let me guess they are also on the garage side of any floor insulation.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Think you will have to find a way to safely put some heat in garage to thaw those pipes. Add anti-freeze once its thawed out and circulating again. Could also use some RV anti-freeze.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

On the antifreeze make certain there is no way for that stuff to get back into the house water supply.

 

[jumpink]

How would I get anti-freeze into the pipes?

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Good Call Smokey ! Yes make sure there is a working back flow prevent valve on the fill line to your system.

 

[jumpink]

Smokey,

The garage ceiling is sheet rocked,so I am not sure what they did with the pipes.

I think I would be more comfortable with a timing relay as opposed to the anti-freeze. I will give that some thought. Have to get those pipes to thaw. Thanks all for the advice.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I sent you a PM Kevin.

It provides one way but I do not recommend doing it.

I'm glad you are thinking of another means.

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Some people on this site use ThermGuard (It is Like a timing relay). Basically it turns the zone on and circulates the water every so often to keep the pipes from freezing.

http://www.stove-parts-unlimited.com/Thermguard_Thermostat_Device_p/85100.htm

Heated Garage using Hot-Water Heat

Many homes have heated garages. When the homeowner is away, there is little need for heat in the garage. ThermGuard will circulate hot water through the garage heating pipes on a regular basis to keep them from freezing and the thermostat can be set to off or a very low temperature.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

I guess i am just a fan of using a good anti-freeze in a hot water system as it keeps the system cleaner and also lubes the pump seals. Also no freezing if there is a power outage. Might come from my living here in NW Wisconsin where i have seen my share of problems in cold weather. Kevin, which ever path you take, i Hope it works out for you and you get it up and running soon.
May the heat be with you! T-Cat ;-)

 

[imacman]

While changing the fluid in the pipes to anti-freeze will certainly keep the pies from freezing, I hate to think of the mess that would have to be cleaned-up if there was ever a leak.

The ThermGuard mentioned above works flawlessly. I've had it in my upstairs bedrooms for 2+ years now, and have never had a frozen pipe, even while the stat up there is set at 45 when the rooms are not being used.

www.bearmountaindesign.com

Also, if you mention you're a Hearth.com member, there is a 10% discount & free shipping.

 

[begreen]

Just because you have a pellet stove, don't make it a religion. Exercise that central heating system from time to time, especially during a bad cold snap. You never know when you might need to use the system 24/7 due to an emergency, pellet failure, health issue, etc.. Frozen pipes and the potential water damage when they thaw can cost a lot more than a bit of fuel oil.

 

[imacman]

Just because you have a pellet stove, don't make it a religion. Exercise that central heating system from time to time, especially during a bad cold snap. You never know when you might need to use the system 24/7 due to an emergency, pellet failure, health issue, etc.. Frozen pipes and the potential water damage when they thaw can cost a lot more than a bit of fuel oil.

I agree.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Just because you have a pellet stove, don't make it a religion. Exercise that central heating system from time to time, especially during a bad cold snap. You never know when you might need to use the system 24/7 due to an emergency, pellet failure, health issue, etc.. Frozen pipes and the potential water damage when they thaw can cost a lot more than a bit of fuel oil.

X2 ;-)

 

[jumpink]

Hard knocks down newbie road.

 

[jumpink]

10 minutes with a well placed hair dryer and the ice dam is history! There doesn't appear to be a leak, fingers crossed.
I bought the ThermGuard today. Hopefully this will not happen again.
Thanks again to everyone for the help.

 

[forya]

My basement gets down in the low 50's. I don't have a loop of water, but My hot and cold water pipes run through it. Am I at risk for freezing? should I run my heat pump to heat it up? should i just run a space heater down there. approx 800 sq ft. 60% finished/ 40% unfinished

 

[Dune]

My basement gets down in the low 50's. I don't have a loop of water, but My hot and cold water pipes run through it. Am I at risk for freezing? should I run my heat pump to heat it up? should i just run a space heater down there. approx 800 sq ft. 60% finished/ 40% unfinished

Only if water freezes in the low 50's where you live.