Sunday, February 12, 2012

At Five Degrees

Despite trying to add more heat from inside to the plumbing insulation box with the added heat tape that was not up to the task and leaving the kitchen sink dripping, a couple of water lines froze in the night. A completely different set of lines froze this time. I can get the water inside the cozy cabin on the main line no problem. Once it spreads out and goes beneath the floor to all the indoor plumbing fixtures are when the problems arise.

Heat rises of course and it is apparent not enough radiant heat is getting through the tile, backer board and plywood floor to keep the insulated plumbing box below above the freezing point when single digits arrive.



This aggravation was enough to send me out on a cold day looking for a new house. Wow! Nice dry stack stone wall. And what a piddly dusting of snow. You call this snow?



Check this out, tree bark shingles for siding. Cool.



I have never seen tree bark shingles before. I would imagine most of the time bark would be a waste product.



The mantel on this fireplace is twice as big as any rock I have wiggled or had moved by a backhoe and it is inside the house. There's all kinds of big rocks in this fireplace, with square edges and flat faces even. Sigh.



Actually I was playing Haywood County GPS for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent over in the Kingdom of Madison. We went to do a prescreening of house possibilities in my neck of the woods for a client of hers.

Another nice looking stone wall. I would guess this is a facade over a cement block wall though.



Nice quilt. This was my favorite house. It had the killer view in a very posh neighborhood and the only picture I took was of the quilt.



I came home to a flock of turkeys flapping around in the tops of the trees. It is surprising they can still fly. They are such clunky things on the wing.



This morning while it was still six degrees I went out and shoveled the drive so I could get to my appointment in the morning. There had been enough melt and the snow was still slushy enough for me to get to the top of the drive. It's 19 degrees now. In the morning that will be a sheet of ice.



The hot water line in the kitchen sink defrosted while I was gone. The cold water line in the bathroom sink is still froze. I'll need to contemplate Plan C for the insulated plumbing box with the added heat tape that is not up to the task.

8 comments:

Siria said...

Hi Christopher!
Looks like winter is finally your way. That sure is a beautiful home! Is that your new client? I love that bark siding. I have seen it before and have always loved the look. It sure looks great with all that gorgeous stacked stone! Stay warm and I hope your pipes defrost very soon.

Lola said...

Love that house. I've never seen bark used before like that.
Sure hope your pipes thaw soon. That sure is aggravating. Had that happen when in N.Y. & pg. Ouch.
Stay warm.

Christopher C. NC said...

No Siria this isn't my new client's place, though their house is of similar size and style. We saw six random houses from Bethel to Iron Duff that fit my friend's client's parameters.

Lola that first hose with the bark shingles was nice and on 14 acres set way off the road.

I figure the pipe should thaw tomorrow. We have more snow coming but not this cold.

Lola said...

What was the amount on the house, if I may ask?
It's cold out.

Garden Broad said...

The bark is cool looking, but I wonder how it holds up. I don't miss the frozen pipe dramas at my house this year, I hope yours ends soon!

Christopher C. NC said...

Lola if I remember correctly, the bark shingle house on 14 acres was bank owned and available for a mere $695,000.

GradenBroad I am hoping Plan C will be the final solution when I think of it. What it boils down to is getting more heat inside the plumbing box because it is separate from the house being heated.

l said...

Mere? lol

Benjamin Vogt said...

Cool house. Not yours, the other one. Though, your house must be cool, what with frozen pipes.