Littleton, CO. Gets cold from time to time. Although the garage, which is a 3 car, ~31’x31′ with a 6 x 20 indent from the house (so the result looks like the state of Utah), stays fairly warm albeit not insulated.
I wanna put a sink within the countertops and boxes I’m fitting in along both sides of the indented corner. On the other side of the wall at the desired location is existing plumbing serving the laundry room.
How do I engineer a warm enough base unit location to keep the inspector happy about the water pipes and such in this unheated area? Put a temperature switched light bulb in it?
Replies
Insulated (foam) box on the garage side in the cab all the way to the bottom of the counter. Open the wall between the box and the laundry room and install a full grill at the laundry room wall.
Hope the exposed faucets don't freeze.
edit: Forget the above unless you further enclose (to the garage side) the box with fireX sheetrock. You'll lose your rating between garage and living area.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Edited 7/27/2005 1:53 pm ET by calvin
Depending on the local code, you might be able install a heater tape on the exposed pipes. It starts to come on at 40F and will draw almost no current in the warmer months. I use them in my shop building and in an irrigation shed - just remember they don't work when the power is off and you'll have to drip the faucets.
Use shut off valves with the little drain screws on them. That way when it gets cold you can just simply shut them off and back drain the water out. As far as the drain, either a little of the antifreeze that they use to winterize a house or take the trap off and drain it.
I did something similar with an outdoor sink in my barbque area that hangs on the outside wall of my house. I put a ball valve in each of the supply lines that are located inside the heated area. After the ball valves I installed a tee fitting verticaly. On the top side of tee is an adaptor that connects to a standard 3/8" flex line. (I used the stainless steel braided type) The flex lines go out of a sleeve in the exterior wall that is angled up towards the faucet. I put fiberglass insullation into a plastic bag and serpintened it around the flex line and capped it off with expanding foam. On the exterior I added stanard foam pipe insullation right up to the faucet valve. I used a stardard bar faucet with individual stops. On the lower side of tee is a standard 1/2" threaded ell with intergal mounting holes cast into it. (Like the ones used for a shower head) I threaded in a boiler drain valve into this fitting. During the warm months the ball valves are open and the boiler drains are closed. During the winter months I turn off the ball valves open the boiler drains and faucet stops. The water drains back and out the open boiler drains. For the waste in put the trap inside the heated area. For a garage installation you would need to fire stop abound the lines using an approved compound. This installation has worked well over the years.
If you are doing this by code, there is only one person that can answer your question the local code inspector. The forum answers may come 1000 miles away, Thats not going to help you. Lots of luck.
Stone,
Cant help you with the code issue, but here in Maryland (coldest temps most winters maybe 10 degrees) I have never had a pipe freeze going to a sink I have in my attached garage. I think between daytime sun keeping it pretty warm, and residual heat from the cars at night, it just does not get that cold.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
You could use some frost free hose bibs for your water supply if they come from the heated house. When you turn off the water, the exposed pipe drains back so there is no water in it. There is usually enough space in the drain so that freezing won't break the pipe. It won't work if it's filled with ice, obviously.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match