Reply To: winterizing fresh water supply lines – self-draining option

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    An understandable conclusion. Homeowners let taps run in the winter to prevent frozen lines. Actually, water coming from the ground in colder areas like Maine is about 42F in the winter as the ground doesn’t freeze deep below the surface there. Alaskan areas have permafrost, but the earth well beneath permafrost is still 40F. The lines don’t freeze as long as the supply of water coming from the ground is enough to provide heat to the lines to keep the water above 32F.

    The rule needs to be fully stated as “Running water warmer than 32F doesn’t freeze.” or “Ground water that was running and dropped below 32F is now frozen.”

    Your idea to keep water circulating will work if the water is taken from a part of the lake that will always be below the ice because the earth is providing enough heat to keep the bottom water above freezing AND the water that is taken from that point has enough heat to keep the pipes above freezing by the time it returns to the lake. The same happens when the homeowner keeps the cold water line open to keep the line from freezing.

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