[AT] Freezing pipes

[charliehill]

I've never needed to use heat tape on anything of mine.  It generally 
doesn't get that cold here that a light bulb in the pump house and the 
residual heat under in the crawl space won't take care of.  However, last 
year I took a project for an oil jobber.  He had just gotten into the 
bio-diesel business and was having a hard time with his bio part of the 
stuff gelling up on him.  Turns out the animal fat version will gel at about 
40 degs.  The veggie oil version will stand a bit more cold but is still 
problematic in cold weather.  We put silicone rubber heated pads on the 
tanks and  fiberglass insulation with a metal jacket.  On the fuel lines, 
pumps and valves we used some heat tape I found at McMaster-Carr.  At $3.72 
a foot you wouldn't want to do the pipes under your double wide with it but 
this was going on 2" steel pipe that was then insulated and jacketed.  It 
had to be high quality stuff.  In addition to the price per foot you had to 
have a termination kit at $50.07 ( I needed two) and a switch and I needed 
two of those (two circuits) at $49.34 each.  (I just happened to have the 
invoice close at hand).   Total bill with 180' of cable was close to $900.00 
but it's neat stuff.  The switch I used was a contact switch that I placed 
against the surface of the pipe at what I figured was the place most likely 
to get cold first.  The switch comes on at 45 and goes off at 60.   The 
cable is fuel and oil resistant and the ends get sealed with silicone rubber 
and a special cap.

The stuff is impressive.  Load is only 3 watts/foot.  Since it all got 
covered in insulation and metal jacketing the only way to know that it's 
working is that the oil isn't gelling now and the meter spins a bit faster 
at times.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Don Bowen" <don.bowen at earthlink.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:53 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] Freezing pipes


> Indiana Robinson wrote:
>>   The error of
>>
>> his ways??? He ended up with the thermostat inside of the nice toasty
>> warm basement. The tape was outside but the thermostat never called
>> for heat since it was already warm... :-)
>>
> If all else fails, read the instructions.  Real men do not need
> instructions.
>
> The heat tape I purchased from Lowe's about a week ago had a drawing on
> the back showing the placement of the thermostat and the written
> instructions explained the thermostat location.  It is not taped to the
> hydrant, along a short hose, over the sediment filter and long the hose
> to the trailer.  Filter is wrapped in bubble wrap and hoses are wrapped
> in two layers of foam pipe insulation and the whole thing covered with a
> blue tarp.  No problems after several nights and days of below freezing,
> the trailer is a different story.
>
> I only planned to be here a week or less so did not spend any time or
> money to skirt the trailer.  The under side is exposed to the wind such
> that the 40 gallon fresh water tank became a 40 gallon block of ice.
> During my all too frequent night time trips to the bathroom I always
> turn on the faucets to get a little water flowing.  The kitchen sink is
> about three steps steps away but on a cold night that electric blanket
> is many steps closer.  The water lines to the kitchen sink froze.
>
> I opened cabinets, heated the trailer with expensive propane and almost
> as expensive electric but the ice would not let go of its cosy home in
> my pipes.  I bought a small heater with a fan and borrowed a hair dryer
> as weapons of war against mother nature.
>
> While getting ready for battle (and wimping out in the cold) I was
> standing by the space heater exhaust when it came on.  It could have
> been a flash of inspiration or more than likely a slap on the forehead,
> I came up with an idea.  I have a three point carryall that I leaned
> against the trailer with the top above the heater exhaust.  On top of
> that I placed a piece of foam insulation then covered the whole thing
> with a plastic tarp.  Another sheet of foam was placed against the
> trailer as a skirt.  This directed the waste heat from the exhaust along
> where the pipes run under the trailer insulation.
>
> I went inside then turned on the errant faucet and sat down to regain
> feeling in my hands and feet by cranking up the trailer heat.  It took a
> little less than a half an hour to rejoin the 21st century.  The 40
> gallon block of ice is now a large ice covered wet spot under the trailer.
>
> Today's project, get the pump thawed out so I can purge the lines with
> RV antifreeze then head for warmer warmer temperatures of Southern
> California with Jimmy Buffet blasting from the stereo singing about
> changes in latitude, changes in attitude.
>
> -- 
> Don Bowen           KI6DIU
> http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html
>
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