For the Newbies this year...anyone worried about frozen pipes??

[imacman]

I stumbled across this device last year while looking for a way to eliminate a potential frozen pipe situation I had in an unheated attic space that has exposed heating pipes. I had it freeze once when I first bought the house (I didn't even know the pipe was up there). This little device solved that problem for me, and I know quite a few others here bought them too....it worked great!

In the zone you install the unit, it allows you to keep the stat set to a low temp. It basically forces the heating system to kick on once in a while just to warm the pipes and keep water circulating in them. I have mine set to run for 15 min. every 3 1/2 hours on really cold days...it even has an on-off switch so you can shut it off when the outdoor temps go up. Mines been turned off since the end of Feb, and probably won't need to use it until end of Dec.

Believe me, the $60 or so bucks was well worth not having to worry about a burst pipe and all the $$ I'd have to spend repairing that mess!! From what i understand, it's really helpful for vacation homes where you're not there a lot...it can be installed so it runs all the zones if you want.

The device even won an award, here's the thread. www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/37058/

The guy is a member of the forum, and will give Hearth.com members a 10% discount if you insert this code 101657512 (and it comes w/ free shipping) :

Hope this helps some people get a little more peace of mind, like I have now. Oh, and BTW, I am NOT at all associated w/ this company, and get no compensation at all....just think it's a great device, and want to help out my fellow pellet heads......OK, and you wood burners too....LOL.

 

[SteveT]

I agree with MacMan. The Thermguard is a great product.

I only use it when the temperature is pretty low, say below 20 degrees. No frozen pipes. While I am not sure the Thermguard prevented a freeze up, I am 100% sure it was worth the price based solely on the peace of mind I got from knowing the pipes weren't at risk of freezing.

 

[geek]

what about us with a oil boiler with hot water baseboards?

 

[SteveT]

what about us with a oil boiler with hot water baseboards?

That's exactly what I use it for -- it periodically fires the burner and turns on the circulator pump just as the thermostat would do. The difference is that it does it based on time, not temperature. So if you run the hot water through the system, say 5 minutes every 2 hours, there will be no freeze-up.

 

[imacman]

what about us with a oil boiler with hot water baseboards?

That's exactly what I use it for --

Me too.

 

[keep-in warm]

Thanks for the reminder....I purchased these in spring for my two zones and need to get them installed soon.

 

[imacman]

Thanks for the reminder....I purchased these in spring for my two zones and need to get them installed soon.

Yep, get 'em installed and ready. The nice thing is that once you program them, you just shut them off until the next cold spell, then flip the switch on....it retains the memory. I have SOOOOOO much more peace of mind now....I can actually go away for a weekend in the coldest part of the winter and never give frozen pipes a thought. WELL worth the $60 and 10 minutes for install. :coolsmile:

 

[daydreamer]

I got one last winter and used it when it got cold outside below 20 degrees or so. I have a propane fired boiler with hot water baseboard heat. It was nice to use the pellet stove and not worry about frozen pipes.

 

[Stevie]

Hey Macman,
Thanks for the address post. I was going to do a search for that little gadget but you did the work for me.
Thanks again
Steve

 

[imacman]

Hey Macman,
Thanks for the address post. I was going to do a search for that little gadget but you did the work for me.
Thanks again
Steve

Hey, I do what I can for my fellow pellet heads and pellet pigs OINK!!

 

[xbillyx]

I HIGHLY recommend ThermGuard. I woke up one morning to frozen pipes (my pellet stove had thrown off my thermostat for my oil baseboards). So, I did some searching and found the ThermGuard. It has saved my ass. GREAT product!

 

[xbillyx]

I set mine last winter to run every 2 hours for 5 minutes. When it got really cold outside (-20 to -30) I fired up the oil boiler).

Do you think running ever 2 hours would be sufficient to prevent frozen pipes year round up here in NE Canada? Or, would you recommend dialing down the interval when it gets super cold?

 

[camdids]

Same here. Got mine last year , After having the upstairs pipes freeze on New Years Day. $200 call out to get it cleared. had it run for 3 minutes every 2 1/2 hours. Worked a charm.
Oil Fired Baseboard heating. Does exactly what it claims to do.
I recommend it to everyone

 

[imacman]

....Do you think running ever 2 hours would be sufficient to prevent frozen pipes year round up here in NE Canada? Or, would you recommend dialing down the interval when it gets super cold?

Hard to say...we don't know what kind of situation you have, where the pipes are located, etc. In general, I'd tend to err on the side of caution...it only takes a minute to re-program it.

 

[xbillyx]

....Do you think running ever 2 hours would be sufficient to prevent frozen pipes year round up here in NE Canada? Or, would you recommend dialing down the interval when it gets super cold?

Hard to say...we don't know what kind of situation you have, where the pipes are located, etc. In general, I'd tend to err on the side of caution...it only takes a minute to re-program it.

Gotcha. Maybe I'll dial down the interval when it gets really cold. I'm thinking every 2 hours should be good down to at least -10F.

 

[imacman]

....Do you think running ever 2 hours would be sufficient to prevent frozen pipes year round up here in NE Canada? Or, would you recommend dialing down the interval when it gets super cold?

Hard to say...we don't know what kind of situation you have, where the pipes are located, etc. In general, I'd tend to err on the side of caution...it only takes a minute to re-program it.

Gotcha. Maybe I'll dial down the interval when it gets really cold. I'm thinking every 2 hours should be good down to at least -10F.

Hey, if you have time on a cold, snowy weekend this winter, get an inexpensive thermometer and hang it on the pipe in question, and watch the temps....might give you some idea of how cold it gets there. Maybe other forum members have a better idea??

 

[Dr_Drum]

Just to clarify, it doesn't control your furnace, or turn the furnace on. It simply closes the contacts on the thermostat for the desired amount of time you program it for. If the furnace is already up to temperature you won't hear the furnance turn on immerdiately, just your circulator pump will turn on. When the circulating water in the pipes brings the furnace temperture down below the aquastat setting (mines at 180 deg) this kicks the furnace on, as it would normally without a Thermguard. I plan to order two of these this year. Excellent idea and product.
Mike -

 

[Dr_Drum]

. . .get an inexpensive thermometer and hang it on the pipe in question, and watch the temps....might give you some idea of how cold it gets there. Maybe other forum members have a better idea??

I did this on a section of pipe that within an area of my house that is cantilevered out over the foundation. I put the thermometer under the pipe and it got down to 36. Too close for comfort for me.

I contacted the inventor (forgot his name) last winter to see if one ThermGuard could be used to control a multi-zone house. He tried to help me, as did several others here. It is possible but you would need to add a relay and control the circulator itself. I lost interest as the weather became nicer. Probably easier to just buy two or three.
Mike -

 

[imacman]

Just to clarify, it doesn't control your furnace, or turn the furnace on. It simply closes the contacts on the thermostat for the desired amount of time you program it for......

Dr. Drum, I respectfully disagree. What do think happens when the regular stat calls for heat? It closes the contacts and the burner and circulator pump come on. ThermGuard does the same thing, only by time, not temp. If the burner happens by coincidence to be running at the same moment, the ThermGuard action just makes the control valve send water to that zone.

 

[Dr_Drum]

Macman. Sorry if I confused the issue. It controls the termostat (opens/closes contacts) as that is all it is connected to. The thermostat controls the circulator, so yes, you are correct it can control the circulator via the thermostat connection. I was trying to say it won't directly turn on the furnace. The furnace will turn on when needed as in normal operation, when the temp of the returning water drops the furnace below the aquastat low set temp.

I'll wait in the truck.
Mike -

 

[Dr_Drum]

. . . and the burner and circulator pump come on . .

Reread your post. The burner does not automatically come on when the t-stat calls for heat. If the temp of the water in the furnace is sufficient, only the circulator pump turns on. The burner kicks on when the temp of the returning water bring the temp of the furnace down below the aquastats low temp setting.

This is how my system works. My circulator can run without the furnace running.
Mike -

 

[bridgerman]

Hi Mike,

It sounds like you have a good handle on your system's operation. I think you have the ThermGuard operation understood as well. I have ThermGuards in stock and ready to ship for the season. I really appreciate everyone's kind words in this forum. I was just a guy with a freezing pipe problem and no answers. Now we can all relax with a ThermGuard on watching our pipes.

Cheers,
John

 

[Dr_Drum]

John, that's right (forgot your name). Great product. I understand my system fairly well, if I could afford the combustion analyzer I'd be all set. I design various mechanical systems for the hydropower industry.
Mike -

 

[bridgerman]

Hi Mike,
Your job sounds cool. Hopefully the hydropower industry will be getting investment from the green energy efforts. My background is electrical engineering.

Cheers,
John

 

[Dr_Drum]

Yes, we are heavy into the green energy markets, especially wind power. Civil site design, turbine placements, environmental impact studies, permitting and federal regulatory requirements, sun flicker analysis, photo-simulations, as well as some of the emerging offshore tidal energy pilot projects. Lots of work, but I like playing with mechanical thingy's best.
Later, Mike -