I have a friend with a new house and had a heat pipe freeze in her bedroom. Her builder wants to put anti-freeze in the pipes. Is this common practice to handle this type of problem, besides actually fixing the insulation in that area? If that is the fix, is there any side affects of doing so? Thanks, any input would help.
Mindy
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Replies
I had my house swapped over to hydronic forced hot air, which required heating pipes going to an air handler located in my attic. To prevent the pipes from freezing (I live in CT) the system is filled with a blend of water and antifreeze. I haven't had a problem with it, and it's been 10 years. The antifreeze does cut down on the effiency of the system, but not noticably. The only other issue (other than it's a mess if you have a leak) is that it can be toxic to animals (cats), depending on the type you buy. Cats are drawn to the sweet scent and are prone to lick at it. I use a nontoxic variety, but am still diligent about cleaning any drips before DWs feline can get to it.
I would try the antifreeze before ripping out the walls. It's not clear to me why the pipe froze; they are usually put on the house side of the wall insulation if placed in an exterior wall to allow heat from the house to prevent the pipes from freezing.
I misread the initial post and missed the obvious; if the pipe froze, she would have to fix it anyway, and ensure they are insulated after the repair, right? I'd still go with the antifreeze; cheap insurance to prevent any future frozen pipes.
It's too bad for your friend. Antifreeze is sometimes added, but not most of the time. The proper solution is that the piping should be routed so it never passes through an unheated space, never passes on the unheated side of insulation, and never passes where cold air can blow on it through a crack. If done properly, then the only way pipes can freeze is that the entire heating system fails and the whole house goes cold.