Protect your crawlspace pipes from freezing with still air!

Vent are with Meade wireless thermometer

Earlier this winter, when the temperature outdoors plummeted to below zero, I had a water pipe briefly freeze up. When I got under the house in a crawlspace and inspected the area, I discovered that the cover had come off an outdoor vent and had allowed freezing air to blow across the affected pipe. Fortunately, for me, that pipe did not rupture and I was able to defrost it without any harm. The lesson I learned from this experience was; 1) make sure that the air is still or not moving in any of the crawlspaces by blocking vents and filling any gaps and 2) make sure to monitor those or similar areas whenever really cold weather threatens.

As a follow up to this, and on the eve of the next cold wave that hit on February the 6^th, I got under the house and made sure that the two vents located there were thoroughly blocked. At that time, I also installed a wireless thermometer that could be monitored from inside the house. That way I could keep an eye on what the ambient temperature down there was over the course of any really cold evening. Interestingly, even though it got down to only 5 above zero that evening, the temperature in the crawlspace never dropped below 43F! However, just to be on the safe side, I also set up a small space heater on an extension cord that could be turned on in cast things got too dicey!