RunningBum
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2007
- Messages
- 13,263
I used to have 2 seasonal homes, and did the water shut off thing and turn the heat down to 50. I only had one problem, in that my utility room with the gas furnace and boiler was required by code to have fresh air venting in the form of 2 6" or 8" pipes. It made that room very cold and froze the plastic lines that fed to the in floor radiant heating. I hadn't thought to drain those.
When I talked to a plumber, he said I had to be close to having a big enough room to not need the vents, especially if I put a vented door to the inside or just left it open. I did the math and sure enough I was barely over, so I stuffed them with insulation and got a CO2 monitor, and leave the door open. The cats like to go in there and hunt for mice anyway.
So, if you have a similar setup with water pipes in a room with outside venting, consider plugging up those vents while you are away and leave the door to the room open. I'd also research it yourself or check with an HVAC person to make sure it's safe to do while you are away.
When I talked to a plumber, he said I had to be close to having a big enough room to not need the vents, especially if I put a vented door to the inside or just left it open. I did the math and sure enough I was barely over, so I stuffed them with insulation and got a CO2 monitor, and leave the door open. The cats like to go in there and hunt for mice anyway.
So, if you have a similar setup with water pipes in a room with outside venting, consider plugging up those vents while you are away and leave the door to the room open. I'd also research it yourself or check with an HVAC person to make sure it's safe to do while you are away.