• Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 days ago

    Genuine question; how do you prevent freezing pipes in cold climates with instahot taps? AFAIK There’s only so much insulation can do about that (although what i know is pretty little when it comes to plumbing/insulation)

    • hume_lemmy@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      If your pipes inside the house are freezing, then that means the temperature inside the house is below freezing. That means the house heat is off, in which case you have larger problems.

      If the house heat is going to be off for an extended time, you should be shutting off the house water supply and opening your tabs to prevent freezing. That’s the same no matter where your water heating happens.

    • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      Pretty much what the other guy said. In climates where temps get below freezing, you have to keep your thermostat at 45°F minimum (though most do 55), and pipes are generally run above the insulation in the floor joist. Pipes are run in such a way that they are sloped down towards the stop and waste valve (basically a valve below the frost line that cuts off the water supply into the house and also drains the water inside the pipes when shut off once you open all the faucets). Even lines out of a central water heater need to be considered since unless a circ pump is installed and always running, they’ll freeze the same as cold pipes.