For those who live in cold climates

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2

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  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    LOL .....I live in Alaska. It averages -40 during the December-February.

    No, we don't leave the water on. The pipes are insulated so they don't freeze.

    Same here. We live about an hour away from Truckee CA where it snows and is not quite as cold as Truckee and it's the same as the others here, we do not leave our water on. Insulation and under ground pipes take care of them so they do not freeze. :)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Nope. I had to at one place we lived in because they were stupid. But I live in New Hampshire, and no, we don't leave the water on. Down south, they're probably just not insulated well enough?

    This. We have special pipes in our house made of something so they expand and contract and don't freeze or burst. We also have this pink stuff in our walls called Installation. Keeps the cold out.

    Houses down south aren't built the same way, so there are different worries. For example- you have central air. we don't. if it's too hot upstairs to sleep, you sleep in the living room. Or the one room where there is a window unit.

    Some houses up north have central air and some houses in the South don't. Just sayin'.

    And I have never had to run water in the South to keep my pipes from bursting and it's gotten into the teens many times since I moved here. Maybe in older homes down here more than more modern ones. I can't say for sure, but it's not an issue I've ever had in the North or the South.
  • mamakira
    mamakira Posts: 366
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    It is very cold where I live (Sweden) but the pipes in our "normal" house are good insolated. We also have a farm upper north, there we empty the pipes during wintertime and get all our water from the well. Yes, you read right, a lot of work. :smile: So we just don´t use that much water then.
  • gomisskellygo
    gomisskellygo Posts: 635 Member
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    Nope. I had to at one place we lived in because they were stupid. But I live in New Hampshire, and no, we don't leave the water on. Down south, they're probably just not insulated well enough?

    This! I am from NH too:)

    If we lose power than yes, you turn the faucet on a slow drip to prevent pipes from freezing. But like another poster said our pipes are insulated. The homes where you live may not insulate the pipes, so you probably should let the faucet drip.
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
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    I live in NE Wisconsin and No...we do NOT do that! LOL I do know some people who wrap their pipes, but not many. Around here pipes tend to burst only if it's below zero for weeks at a time.
  • gomisskellygo
    gomisskellygo Posts: 635 Member
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    Nope. I had to at one place we lived in because they were stupid. But I live in New Hampshire, and no, we don't leave the water on. Down south, they're probably just not insulated well enough?

    *waves* oh hi fellow new hampshirian

    Hi, I am another one!!
  • mdsjmom98
    mdsjmom98 Posts: 333 Member
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    We have an old house, and it's not very well insulated. I live in Illinois, so we've been known to have a few cold winters!! Typically what we do is wrap our pipes with insulation (stuff you can get at Lowe's) Seems to work pretty well for us. Our kitchen sink is on an east wall, and there are times when we open up the cabinet below the sink, and it feels like a mini fridge. Haven't had any pipes freeze since we've been there.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
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    Our winters are -30C with wind up to -50, never left water running.

    I lived a few miles outta town and our kitchen ones actually froze once or twice (strong winds on the kitchen side of the house) anyway, opening the cupboards under the sink thawed them fast.

    Some people in the country insulate outdoor pipes in the winter by throwin bales of hey over the ground where they run. I assume these are people with wells.
  • lesita75
    lesita75 Posts: 379 Member
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    I live in Minne-SNOW-ta (couldn't help it) and I have never had to do that. Perhaps there are differences in building codes between cold and warm climates.
  • gomisskellygo
    gomisskellygo Posts: 635 Member
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    Our winters are -30C with wind up to -50, never left water running.

    I lived a few miles outta town and our kitchen ones actually froze once or twice (strong winds on the kitchen side of the house) anyway, opening the cupboards under the sink thawed them fast.

    Some people in the country insulate outdoor pipes in the winter by throwin bales of hey over the ground where they run. I assume these are people with wells.

    Those temps make New Hampshire feel tropical! Brrrrrr!
  • SomeoneSomeplace
    SomeoneSomeplace Posts: 1,094 Member
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    Since when is Georgia a cold climate? Haha talk to me when it's negative 14 outside with a wind chill!

    (Although the person from Alaska win this thread)

    And no I don't do that wouldn't you use your water enough that your pipes won't freeze? If I go away I turn off the water for this reason but I think you're fine if you're living there. All you're doing by leaving it on is increasing your water and/or heating bill
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,736 Member
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    Insulation rules. So does a heated garage. And always remmeber, when the snot starts to freeze to your face, it's time to stop shoveling the snow.

    Greetings from Chicago!
  • been285
    been285 Posts: 99 Member
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    north vs south:
    When I moved from Chicago to Nashville I was amazed at how while well built the houses design was just NOT set up to handle winter.

    I wore a sweater at work
    (local southerner) "heh why you wearing a sweater,,, you cold ???
    (me the displaced yankee) wondering if the man was insane,,,,, " no I am wearing a sweater so I won't get cold "

    its an attitude,,,, I take a coat for WHEN it gets cold
    (local southerner) goes and gets a coat IF it gets cold
  • AReasor
    AReasor Posts: 355 Member
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    Nope. I had to at one place we lived in because they were stupid. But I live in New Hampshire, and no, we don't leave the water on. Down south, they're probably just not insulated well enough?

    *waves* oh hi fellow new hampshirian

    Hi, I am another one!!

    I'm in New Hampshire too!
  • gomisskellygo
    gomisskellygo Posts: 635 Member
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    Nope. I had to at one place we lived in because they were stupid. But I live in New Hampshire, and no, we don't leave the water on. Down south, they're probably just not insulated well enough?

    *waves* oh hi fellow new hampshirian

    Hi, I am another one!!

    I'm in New Hampshire too!

    Ha! We are the majority on this thread it seems:) When will it stop raining??!! Probably when it starts snowing!
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
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    I live in MA and we bought our house in late November, immediately went away for Thanksgiving and couldn't turn the heat on at all because the furnace was so dirty it couldn't be used safely until cleaned/inspected/serviced. We were told not to worry about the pipes unless it dropped below freezing for several days while we were gone. If you're using your water regularly and it's not ridiculously low temps for a long period of time, you'll most likely be ok with all pipes except the more exposed ones. Just don't turn the thermostat down when you go to bed if it's supposed to drop in temp overnight and open up sink cabinets to let warm air ciruculate around the uninsulated pipes. Even if they freeze, it takes longer for them to burst.
  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,354 Member
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    My parents' pipes freeze if the wind blows from a certain direction. Usually, 10 minutes with a hair dryer and they're thawed enough to function.

    ETA: They live in OH.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    You turn the faucet on and then turn the water off in the basement to makes sure there's no water left in the pipe. This is mainly to protect the faucet. There are faucets now that turn the water off further into the house so you don't have to worry about pipes freezing.

    I leave the faucets open outside for the winter and run the water from the basement for flooding and resurfacing the rink in the backyard.
  • corrinnebrown
    corrinnebrown Posts: 345 Member
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    Maybe because your pipes arent insulated. Georgia is much warmer than Ohio...that may be it
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
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    No, we have insulated pipes.

    But if we are away for the week-end or more, we shut off the water valve completely in the country. Not in the city though.

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