How to keep my water pipes in the attic from freezing (house, water heater)

[mojo101]

??
Can I set a heating fan in the attic?
Can I keep water running?
Someone once said run the sprinkler system every minute,what good is that since those pipes are under the ground?

[oceangaia]

Planning ahead?


Run water in the house to keep water circulating. The water will be pulled from pipes in the ground which should be a bit warmer.


You could wrap pipes and use a pipe heating system like heating cables or blankets. Or put a space heater in the attic.



But what hurt many last Feb is the power went out for extended periods so there was no warming effect from the interior of the house, and obviously no electric heating.

[mojo101]

those water pipes in the attic are so many,how do I go around wrapping them?
Last time,one 9 ft long copper pipe burst with 4 holes,there are other pipes up there some copper,some resin.
is it safe to put a heater up there?The water heater and the furnace and A/C are also up there ?
I am looking into a generator using natural gas ,I think we will see colder winters,more hurricanes and flooding !

[oceangaia]

I'm not sure if it's safe. The problem is that the attic is an unmonitored area probably without any smoke or CO2 detectors.

[NTT]

I used water pipe foam insulation for the exposed pipes in the attic, like this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...7812/204760815.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by NTT

I used water pipe foam insulation for the exposed pipes in the attic, like this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...7812/204760815.

Good suggestion. My husband installed this foam insulation on all our exterior pipes when we bought the house 6 years ago. I'm glad he did that proactively, although I'm not sure why he thought to do it- probably because we've lived places where it gets cold and snowy before.

[gwarnecke]

As long as you can keep your house in the 60s (either with grid power or with a generator running your furnace), the pipes in your attic over your living spaces should stay warm enough to avoid freezing.

If you have attic pipes that run over unheated areas (garage, carport, porch overhang, etc), insulating these would be a great idea.

I wouldn't run a space heater in the attic - running the furnace is much safer. Even a small generator can run a natural gas furnace without breaking a sweat. During the February winter storm, our 3500w portable ran the furnaces (1-2 at a time), two fridges, lights, and electronics.

[kreeyax]

Make sure all your water pipes in your attic are well insulated and none are exposed. You could always get a company to blow insulation to cover all the exposed pipes if there are too many. But I would wrap them in addition to covering them with blown insulation.

My attic pipe that froze was the one running to the outside spigot. So unless you are going to keep all your outside spigots dripping, which would probably freeze up since it's outside, you really can't prevent it. Best thing to do if there's another deep freeze with no power for many hours is turn your water off at the meter and drain all your spigots and open all your faucets. Of course a generator that can keep your heater running should prevent it too.

[mojo101]

Originally Posted by NTT

I used water pipe foam insulation for the exposed pipes in the attic, like this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...7812/204760815.

yes,thats what I bought,would go buy more once I figure how many pipes I have up in attic.
my neighbor did a good job insulating the faucets outdoor so no cold air gets in.

[Troubleshooter]

Several suggestions:

- Insulate the attic space from the weather (e.g. the roof).
- Once you do that, let heat leak in the attic from the house: remove some insulation from the attic floor,
- If a gas water heater does not require inducer electricity, it can probably provide enough heat by itself.
- Electric heat tape
- Don't put a generator in the attic. It should be outside if it is safe.
- Get the kind of outdoor faucets that have the valve itself in a heated space. I have them.
- Let hot water drip.