advice on winterizing pipes in cottage
I am in the process of buying a cottage- it has a well and septic system -it has a crawl space underneath - not cement. the well comes and pump is located in a box attached to the house and the pipe exposed to the elements is very short - It is located in north central wisc- I would like to be able to use the water in the winter and am looking for some ideas on how to make this possible.I live 2 hours from the cottage so when I leave I would like some peace of mind that it will be ok. Is heating tape with a thermostat viable or should I drain the pipes each time ? any ideas ? Thanks Gary
I have since starting this thread had an inspection done by a licensed inpsector. As I expected there was no insulation at all in the crawl space. The inspector did say that this is a 3 season cottage as it stands but could be made 4 season with some insulation. He suggested insulating the walls with 2 inches of foam insulation around the walls and to also put a vapor barrier on the ground. Then instead of heat tape he suggested a heat source i.e. space heater, baseboard heater. It is at the present time not advisable to insulate the floor as heat rises. He said to also make sure the pump house has plenty of insulation and a heat source besides the heat tape that is already there. My plan is to do all of the above and I plan on installing a gas fire place that can be set to keep the structure at 40" throughout the winter. If there are and suggestions -bring them on. gary