Normally flowing water will not freeze. So leaving a tap running during cold weather keeps a pipe from freezing. Of course if the flow is too low it will still freeze. When a water line runs under a road it actually has to be deeper than the normal frost line.
When a vehicle runs over a road there is a slight compression. This increases the heat in that area. So the slight increase in heat radiates into the air. As the road expands it is now a bit colder! So with traffic on a road the frost line goes deeper.
When a vehicle runs over a road there is a slight compression. This increases the heat in that area. So the slight increase in heat radiates into the air. As the road expands it is now a bit colder! So with traffic on a road the frost line goes deeper.
Interesting that the hot water would not be so hot in arctic weather. My hot water heater is a 40 gallon tank heated off the natural gas furnace (steam radiator heat). The tank thermostat ensures it gets up to temperature eventually, though it takes longer. The water at the tap/shower is just as hot, but it doesn't last as long when the cold water streams into the tank to replace the outgoing hot water. Perhaps my hot water pipes, being insulated in the basement, keeps the water a little hotter, but I wouldn't bet by much.
My issue this winter is that my toilets are sometimes leaking and I have to reach into the tank just after flushing to adjust the flapper (need to replace them soon). The tank water is FREEZING cold after filling, and that's when I need to reach in. I have to work quickly to stop the leak. Getting tired of that...
My issue this winter is that my toilets are sometimes leaking and I have to reach into the tank just after flushing to adjust the flapper (need to replace them soon). The tank water is FREEZING cold after filling, and that's when I need to reach in. I have to work quickly to stop the leak. Getting tired of that...
My hot water heater is a gas fired (44kbtu input) 40 gallon fast recovery type and makes pretty hot water even in winter, but it is noticeably cooler than in the summer months. It is still hot enough until the hot water is exhausted and then depending on flow rate will cool down rather rapidly - in summer this basically never happens. A fresh tank of water will be quite hot, but the heater will not run again until the water temperature drops significantly. (I have no idea what the number is, but likely 10° or more.) The tank is well insulated.
Interesting, Kevin. I'm pretty sure my tank let's me change the set points so I could keep it within a few degrees, but I don't bother as in general we don't have problems with it. Except when it used to run the furnace the entire time it was heating the water instead of bringing the furnace tank to 180F and using that water until IT got down to 160F, and it would sometimes warm up the radiators in the summer! After the plumber tried to fix it but failed, I explained what had to be done (I didn't know how to make the adjustments to the wiring so didn't try it myself). He got angry with me, then the boss arrived and admitted I was right. He fixed it as I described and it worked. I have a pet peeve involving people who I hire to do work that I could have done better with the right tools, wiring diagrams, etc...
Nice bit of physics in their Ed!
Made me think about air source/ground source heat pumps. All the rage over here.
My only similar experience was years ago when the contractor arrived to install the new boiler - they were planning on using copper pipe in a steam installation which is an absolute no no, I stopped them and explained I had specifically asked for black iron - they acquiesced and completed the installation with the correct pipe. I would be replacing the copper at this point had they proceeded as they planned to do.
Ground water heat pumps and in ground field based heat pumps are popular here too. It is s probably the direction Boston will ultimately mandate in order to mitigate climate change concerns over the next 30 yrs or so. A lot of improvements in construction practices are going to be needed to reduce the energy required for heating and cooling.
I have a "tank booster". Basically you set the tank temperature high, and a thermo-valve bleeds cold water in for desired delivery temperature.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Heatguard-Water-Heater-Tank-Booster-24409/203721329
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cash-Ac...er-Pro-with-Temperature-Gauge-24644/206945096
The job is "wet". You break both hot and cold lines and plumb the fittings in. One is just a T but the other is a fairly big lump.
There are several packages. One above has a thermometer; I got that but no actual thermometer (a silly mood-ring strip which does not work). One above claims claims Push To Connect (but no PTC bits in the picture?). If you already have 3/4" flex-lines to the heater, it may not be bad. If you have hard iron all the way it will be a puzzle and a struggle.
With this in line, water temperature (after warming the cellar lines) is *very* steady. Volume of hot water is higher because you store HOT and dilute it to a safe temperature on demand. There must be hysteresis in the thermovalve but very short-term, not the large setback of a tank heater.
It mildly improves the yield of the electric tank. It significantly lessened the temp swings of the old on-demand gas heater so it only went to hot not HOT.
Probably the same way folks got through winter back in 1919?
Just about when my house was built. It had wood burning fireplaces and no north facing windows. So the house wouldn't have been as warm, but no single point of failure.
The upside is the house is tight and energy efficient with updated modern insulation. So with just sunlight it rarely drops below freezing as learned while renovating it.
I can't believe it. We (my wife and two teenagers) visited NYC for Christmas 2015, it seems the only year where it didn't even get properly cold and didn't snow, and that was to be one of the highlights - a white Christmas in NYC.
I guess you Northern Hemisphere guys must cringe at us wanting to see snow!
I guess you Northern Hemisphere guys must cringe at us wanting to see snow!
40°F at 4ft down is surprisingly high.
Average temperature in Boston in January/February is much lower than in these parts.
Image of soil temperature at varying depth overhere, measurement taken yesterday =>
Attachments
Well 4ft is roughly 122 cm and 40°F is a little over 4°C so the water temperature I quoted if anything might be a little lower than would be inferred from your graph for the same depth, and seems conservative compared to 3.6°C @ 70cm. And it does get a bit colder than that although not by much.
Four feet is the minimum, and I believe our mains are a bit further down.
My understanding is at 2 meters in undisturbed ground the ground temperature here is typically 10°C or higher year round. (Very good for geothermal heating until people over do it)
NE States WETS Climate Tables
Four feet is the minimum, and I believe our mains are a bit further down.
My understanding is at 2 meters in undisturbed ground the ground temperature here is typically 10°C or higher year round. (Very good for geothermal heating until people over do it)
NE States WETS Climate Tables
4 feet is the requirement for foundations because it won't freeze but might get VERY close). I thought the usual burial depth for water lines was 6 feet in these cases. But I'm out of my depth on this.
Kevin is correct about the water heater. When the water coming into the house is 40 F the and the water heater is set to 120 F it takes a lot of hot water to mix with that 40 F water to make something in the 90 degree range. This means that the tank will be emptied by my wife, then my shower has the range from cold, to really cold. It doesn't bother me enough to do anything about it.
The water SUPPLY line to the house is fine, and it's buried about 4 feet down. I was here every day watching the house being built. The water MAIN that brings the water from the pumping station to our road is the problem, and nobody will fix it right, they just put another piece of duck tape on it.
The water main break was exactly in the same place it broke last winter. We live a couple miles out of town, on a dirt road. The break is about 1/4 mile from the pumping station under the paved road. If the cold weather continues, it will break again the next time it's below zero for a couple of days.
The road out here wan not built for the large trucks and tankers that drive it constantly to support the fracking industry. I'm sure that industry pays some serious taxes. SOME of that money should be used to repair the roads that they destroy. Said water main runs under the road, and the breaks always happen where the road curves and the standing water on the high side leaches under the road, then freezes.
We got 7 inches of snow yesterday. Today the sun was shining most of the day, but the temp remained below freezing. There is still 3 or 4 inches of snow left. Tomorrow its supposed to hit 60 F.
The water SUPPLY line to the house is fine, and it's buried about 4 feet down. I was here every day watching the house being built. The water MAIN that brings the water from the pumping station to our road is the problem, and nobody will fix it right, they just put another piece of duck tape on it.
The water main break was exactly in the same place it broke last winter. We live a couple miles out of town, on a dirt road. The break is about 1/4 mile from the pumping station under the paved road. If the cold weather continues, it will break again the next time it's below zero for a couple of days.
The road out here wan not built for the large trucks and tankers that drive it constantly to support the fracking industry. I'm sure that industry pays some serious taxes. SOME of that money should be used to repair the roads that they destroy. Said water main runs under the road, and the breaks always happen where the road curves and the standing water on the high side leaches under the road, then freezes.
We got 7 inches of snow yesterday. Today the sun was shining most of the day, but the temp remained below freezing. There is still 3 or 4 inches of snow left. Tomorrow its supposed to hit 60 F.
4 feet is the requirement for foundations because it won't freeze but might get VERY close). I thought the usual burial depth for water lines was 6 feet in these cases. But I'm out of my depth on this.
It differs from state to state, in parts of the south it is 2 feet or less, here in MA, the requirement is 4 feet minimum. On Hilton Head where my parents live it wasn't unusual for the residential water line to be only a foot or so below the surface and electrical inches below the surface. I discovered this quite quickly when I sliced through both an outdoor lighting line (120V/15A direct burial romex cable) and the cable TV line excavating to install additional outdoor lighting. The power line to the house was in plastic conduit, but nothing else was.. LOL
LOL! That must have been a surprise!
Yes, regarding foundations I know it's state by state, but here in NH and much of the northeast, foundation depth is 4 feet (whether you're in ag zone 5 or 4). But again that's only for foundations, to keep them below the frost line. It's water and other utils that I don't know much about, but had thought were required to be deeper. But of course, I obviously don't know!
Yes, regarding foundations I know it's state by state, but here in NH and much of the northeast, foundation depth is 4 feet (whether you're in ag zone 5 or 4). But again that's only for foundations, to keep them below the frost line. It's water and other utils that I don't know much about, but had thought were required to be deeper. But of course, I obviously don't know!
Don't hold your breath. I used to live further south and east in WV. Routinely the coal trucks would run 120Klbs or more down the mountain. Although a few would get busted being overwieght, many do not and the results are broken roadbeds and damage that is very costly to repair. The fines imposed are nothing compared to the profits of successful overloaded trucks. The companies responsible will never be brought to task on the problem. Sure you can figure out why.
Also it is a shame what Georgia Pacific did to the land and hillsides around Rainelle. Lots of clear cutting, on the ridges around Rt 60. Lots of erosion problems now.
