Doc1
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Soooo... here it is 03h15 and 23 degrees and I'm still sitting up on an all night weather vigil. Why, you might ask. Because of our pipes.
It's supposed to get down to 20 or lower a bit later and I have to keep the wood stove fed , the propane heater going and the water running so our pipes don't freeze. The pipes are the really big deal. I have to keep the water running to avoid the pipes freezing and splitting, but I have to do it slowly to avoid overflowing our septic system. It's a bit of a balancing act and since there are various water outlets throughout the place I have to monitor all of them.
The good news is that our house was built on piers so I can access most of the piping rather easily for repairs - I rebuilt and re-plumbed the entire house when we bought this place - but that's also the bad news since the elevated structure does little to keep the pipes warm. Nearly all of the piping is insulated, but it's all exposed and the insulation only helps to a limited degree. Keeping the house warm actually does help warm the pipes a bit as it provides a small layer of somewhat warm air immediately beneath the structure.
I'm not complaining, mind you but am only sharing a little slice of one of the less glamorous aspects of homestead life as I sit here living on coffee, watching an old World War II movie and minding the dogs who might want to go outside to do their business.
DW is sleeping in a nice warm bedroom and she sweetly offered to stay up for part of the night. I told her I'd wake her up at 03h00 so she could stand part of the water pipe watch ... but I lied. Since she beat her cancer years ago she's been easily fatigued and I'll let her sleep all night.
Best
Doc
It's supposed to get down to 20 or lower a bit later and I have to keep the wood stove fed , the propane heater going and the water running so our pipes don't freeze. The pipes are the really big deal. I have to keep the water running to avoid the pipes freezing and splitting, but I have to do it slowly to avoid overflowing our septic system. It's a bit of a balancing act and since there are various water outlets throughout the place I have to monitor all of them.
The good news is that our house was built on piers so I can access most of the piping rather easily for repairs - I rebuilt and re-plumbed the entire house when we bought this place - but that's also the bad news since the elevated structure does little to keep the pipes warm. Nearly all of the piping is insulated, but it's all exposed and the insulation only helps to a limited degree. Keeping the house warm actually does help warm the pipes a bit as it provides a small layer of somewhat warm air immediately beneath the structure.
I'm not complaining, mind you but am only sharing a little slice of one of the less glamorous aspects of homestead life as I sit here living on coffee, watching an old World War II movie and minding the dogs who might want to go outside to do their business.
DW is sleeping in a nice warm bedroom and she sweetly offered to stay up for part of the night. I told her I'd wake her up at 03h00 so she could stand part of the water pipe watch ... but I lied. Since she beat her cancer years ago she's been easily fatigued and I'll let her sleep all night.
Best
Doc