Thread: Rustic Living?

I guess it may have its charm but let me tell ya, there's alot to be said for having a thermostat to set your heat when it's below zero F out there. I don't really mind heating with wood and it's great to not give water company or big oil a dime. But right now my cold water isn't running because someplace between the well pump and some of my water lines it is frozen. So I can't flush the downstairs toilet. There's no cold water in the kitchen or the downstairs shower or the upstairs tub.

Bummer. Quite literally.

You are right the rest of us are just spoilt.

Sorry I mean really sorry for your situation. You just have to hope the ice doesn't burst the pipes. Don't you lag them?

Usually it's not a problem if I leave the faucets on a slow drip when I know it's going to get very cold. But this morning I discovered our new neighbors (the house is a duplex) left the basement door open and it got very cold down there too. some of the pipes are insulated, some aren't. Typically and perhaps surprisingly) it's the hot water pipes that freeze so I put the hot on to drip and beepa da boppa da boop, the cold water pipe froze and it could be anywhere. So now I have a heater down there hoping I can bring the basement temp above freezing but with the dirt floor and loose stone foundation it is like shoveling sand against the tide.

Brad-a-maniac:

Oh my friend I can Soooooooooo relate to this, We have a log home out in the wilds of Nth Idaho, I have fought the good fight with the well for 7 years now and I think (knocking on wood) I have finally tracked down and either insulated or heat taped every problem...
Now the real problem is if the power goes out and I happen to be at work and can't turn on the Geni then it will freeze... I have tried to figure out if we can use a auto switch but the power company requires a special switch that costs more than the Geni itself...

Good luck my friend, as my wife calls it "The camping trip that never ends"

I won! The water she is running now and I am going to bed. Let's see what happens as the temp plummets out there.

If I have to live in the 18th century I should only have to pay 18th century rent.

...and taxes

Frozen pipes? Another reason I'm happy to live in Bangkok.

I too feel your pain,as I live in a log home in one of the cold spots in the nation.Sometimes it takes a few years and a lot of heartache to work the bugs out of your situation.Sometimes it takes a drastic move like putting in a deeper waterline(in the summer)or heat-taping anything exposed in the basement(expensive light bill).Your basement should stay at something near 53 degrees F if everything is closed up and insulated.Sounds like that open door is what did it.

Originally Posted by icedog

Usually it's not a problem if I leave the faucets on a slow drip when I know it's going to get very cold. But this morning I discovered our new neighbors (the house is a duplex) left the basement door open and it got very cold down there too. some of the pipes are insulated, some aren't. Typically and perhaps surprisingly) it's the hot water pipes that freeze so I put the hot on to drip and beepa da boppa da boop, the cold water pipe froze and it could be anywhere. So now I have a heater down there hoping I can bring the basement temp above freezing but with the dirt floor and loose stone foundation it is like shoveling sand against the tide.

Damn neighbors...