We have about 10 feet of copper piping running along the ceiling of the garage where it is prone to get below freezing on very cold days. Even insulated, the pipes can feeze. This weekend, when we were away for 3 days, the pipes did burst and flooded the garage. We‘re replacing the ‘burst‘ section, but I‘d like to know my options for preventing this from happening again. Do you they make heated insulation? I know I can let the water drip (or drain the water turn it off when we go away for the weekend), but I‘d like to know of more high tech or automated solution. Maybe there is something that circulates the water? We‘re in the DC metro area in Maryland. Thanks!
Depends on how you use it.Could be any of the three.
insulate them and run a piece of heating tape that has a thermal switch. it turns on when it is too cold. It will turn itself off when it heats up. run this tape along the pipe, do not wrap it. This tape is availabe at most hardware stores.
If you have to replace the pipe anyways, replace it with PEX plastic pipe instead, in that area of the garage. Cover it with foam pipe insulation sleeves. Put an in-line shut off back in the warm area, so you can still shut it off and drain it if you go away for any amount of time, just to be safe. Metal pipe conducts heat and cold much faster than plastic. PEX piping is rated for high temperatures, where PVC is not. PEX can therefore be used for hot water as well as cold. It also will flex some if the water in it does happen to freeze, where metal pipes burst. I use it in my garage, and although it has frozen, it hasn't split. [this depends on how cold it actually gets, of course.] The only place that is prone is the fittings, usually brass or copper. Brass it stronger. The nice thing is you can run 2 feet or 200 feet of pipe with the same number of fittings, just 2. One on each end. Heat tapes cost money to run, and some can be dangerous. They should only be used when there is no other option, such as outside. This, of course, is just my opinion.
heat tape with insulation is the only way if that line is necessary to have on.insulation alone does nothing. How do I put this? If you put a jacket on a dead man will it warm him? the answer of course is no. The tape will fail someday and power can go out. Rerouting the pipe is the best answer but you can shut the water off when you are away so that only a couple pints will come out if it breaks.
