This is my fourth winter in the South Carolina Midlands after having lived in the Chicago/NW Indiana area for two decades. For the house in NW Indiana, preparing for winter meant draining pipes that ran to the outside. I also wrapped pipes running through the garage with heating wires.
This past week we have had colder weather than I have seen in my four years here in SC. We have had several days with low temperatures reaching the mid teens to low 20s and high temperatures in the low to mid 30s. I have my outside garden faucets wrapped with rags and duct tape, but I have not insulated or heated the pipes in my walk-in crawl space. Yesterday, the temperature outside went down to 15, but it was 39 in my garage. In the crawl space, it did not feel particularly cold. The plastic water pipes were not cold to the touch. I'm uncertain whether I should be insulating and heating the pipes in the crawl space or weather that is a needless precaution.
Someone in a nearby neighborhood did report a burst pipe, but I have no idea what the circumstances were.
Any thoughts?
This past week we have had colder weather than I have seen in my four years here in SC. We have had several days with low temperatures reaching the mid teens to low 20s and high temperatures in the low to mid 30s. I have my outside garden faucets wrapped with rags and duct tape, but I have not insulated or heated the pipes in my walk-in crawl space. Yesterday, the temperature outside went down to 15, but it was 39 in my garage. In the crawl space, it did not feel particularly cold. The plastic water pipes were not cold to the touch. I'm uncertain whether I should be insulating and heating the pipes in the crawl space or weather that is a needless precaution.
Someone in a nearby neighborhood did report a burst pipe, but I have no idea what the circumstances were.
Any thoughts?
