Frozen pipe prevention for Mobile home after power outage... insolvable problem?

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hamlet_jones

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I drip water at the taps to prevent freeze-ups during brief 20f weather. It's worked for 20 years.
We had a big windstorm, during the night a tree crashed onto major power pole during 14f temps.
Power was out for 9 hours during the night while we slept. The woodstove kept the Mobile home warm,
but the pipes beneath froze. Without electricity, the well pump was off, so the dripping stopped,
the heat-tape installed at the supply point was cold, and the copper pipes froze, and split, from the baths,
laundry room, and all the way to the kitchen.

Once the weather breaks in a few days I'll start crawling. I've done this before on another project,
so I know what I'm in for.

Anyway, it seems to me, there is no amount of pipe insulation that will help when the power goes out.
Heat tape would be useless, and IMHO, no amount of pipe insulation is going to keep a cold pipe warm.
(stack ten blankets over a cold cup of coffee and see if it warms it up)

Mobile home is located near Portland, Oregon. It's not North Dakota, but cool spells happen, and I don't
know how the hell I can prevent this from happening if another scenario like this occurs again, short
of using a drain-back system, but that would require someone to always be there to flip the valves, which
isn't always an option. When the home is vacant for longer stretches of time in the winter, the bath and
kitchen taps were always left dripping.

Most of the pipe runs in a singe bay between floor joists, near the outside skirting. The best I can come up
with is to repair it with drain-back in mind, sloping all the pipes back to the supply point, and filling the void
with foam sheet material & can foam, or fill the cavity entirely with a spray foam rig.

Ideas?
 

DonL

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Get a Generator for when the power fails, and have plenty of fuel on hand. Use heat tapes.

That is what I would do. And still do even in Texas.

Running water can fill a septic tank system, then you have other problems. But it works for short term. Pipe insulation does not add heat, that is needed. Heat tape works, but needs power.

Or Move South is another option. That is what I did.

The EPA just put a ban on the sale of wood stoves, Buy them and use them while you can.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1034220/epa-wood-stove-ban-designed-to-reduce-airborne-fine-particles

Here in Texas we send out crews to states that need help. Pennsylvania State is in a big hurt, and we sent crews to help get their power working again.

I feel your pain.


Good luck.
 
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hamlet_jones

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Thanks. Generator isn't an option, because I travel.
I think I might bury the lines to each appliance in the soil (short shovel?)
and create an insulated riser to each (shower, toilet, kitchen, etc). With enough
insulation, the pipes would be okay for a couple days at least..
 
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