Cold COLD weather peeps - question!!!!

**jzgrlduff** · 01-16-2009, 09:39 AM

How in holy hell do you keep your pipes from freezing or bursting when it's below zero? By keeping your heat cranked? If so, how in holy hell do you afford that?! Also, what keeps your car batteries from sh*tting the bed?

Just curious. It's 7 degrees here this morning and my co-worker came in late because his pipe busted.

**Thunders Mom** · 01-16-2009, 09:42 AM

It's a fact of life in the midwest...you just deal with it!!!

I park my car in the garage, but DH is parked outside and he plugs in.

-22 here this morning!

**MidwestGirl** · 01-16-2009, 09:43 AM

Leave the water dripping and open any cabinets so the heat can get in there. Also heat tapes.

**jzgrlduff** · 01-16-2009, 09:45 AM

but DH is parked outside and he plugs in.

Plugs in to what? LOL!! Electric car?

I can't keep my cabinets open for fear the dogs will go after my cleaning stuff.

**MidwestGirl** · 01-16-2009, 09:49 AM

DH plugs his diesel truck into the outlet so it will start.

**imported_bearsdad** · 01-16-2009, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by jzgrlduff

Plugs in to what? LOL!! Electric car?

I can't keep my cabinets open for fear the dogs will go after my cleaning stuff.

Block heater... heats the antifreeze in your engine block. They are a wonderful device.

**jzgrlduff** · 01-16-2009, 10:03 AM

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, OK, I see.

**imported_Melissa** · 01-16-2009, 10:05 AM

Jason parks outside and it got down to -12 here last night. His truck didn't care for it too much, but it did start this morning. No heaters or anything.

Night before last it got down to -6, I think, and we didn't remember to do anything and our pipes were fine. As long as you're not in the south, you should be fairly well insulated and only pipes on exterior walls be in danger. Last night we kept the cabinets cracked and I left the water at a trickle in all the faucets this morning as a precaution. I did close the cabinets though so there would be no worries about the dogs. Not worried about them being open at night because they sleep with us and they wouldn't be bothering them then.

**labby** · 01-16-2009, 10:05 AM

There are pipe jackets you an put over your pipes too. We have them for the washer since those pipes are on outside walls. Other than that, having heat will keep the pipes from freezing.

It was -19 when I got up this morning. It's -5 now.

**joflake** · 01-16-2009, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by MidwestGirl

Leave the water dripping and open any cabinets so the heat can get in there. Also heat tapes.

This is what we do. We don't have to use heat tapes though. It was -11 and we've never had a problem. BTW, it was 55 degrees in my house this morning. I didn't care.