Covering Roof Turbines in Winter

[gdr_11]

I had another bout of frozen pipes last week in spite of the attic pipes being covered in neoprene and a thick layer of blown insulation over that. I dribbled the faucets and kept the thermostat at 68 but the 7 degree lows and the string north winds still froze some pipes in spite of this.

The plumber and damage adjuster both suggested the oversize gable vents as sources of too much frigid air that overpowered the insulation. I can easily cover the gable vents with plastic when sub teen temps are forecast but I wondered about the turbines on the roof. I have heard pros and cons but this is the fist house I have had with turbines so I am hesitant to cover them and reduce the ventilation although I can’t see much harm in covering them for the typical 3-5 day super cold snaps we get in East Texas and then opening them after that

I am thinking if I treat the attic like I do the outside spigots it might help prevent future freezing. So far I have replaced about half if the copper with pex and plan on doing the rest in the Spring when the plumbers might be more available and I can get a better pricr

 

[Grumps21]

If you have a gas heater in the attic, then I wouldn’t think it would be a good idea to seal everything up. If there was any sort of gas leak or exhaust emissions leak, I would assume there should be an opening to draw it out. Either cover the gables vents or the whirly bird, but not both.

 

[Dawico]

I'd cover it all up once you have to turn the heater in the house on. Heat rises so you're losing heat even with decent insulation if the wind is blowing through the attic area.

If you have a gas heater or water heater they should both be vented already. Obviously don't cover those vents or any pipe vents.

Keep in mind most houses are designed to fight summer heat and not winter cold down here.

 

[leVieux]

It may be more efficient & easier to place a small heater up there, as it rarely gets that cold.

I’ve seen numerous serious injuries from folks going up onto their roofs.

Also, folks up North may already have a “solution”. For example, a Surgeon-Friend once lived up in northern Minnesota. When he bought a new home, it had resistance heating wires built into the concrete driveway, to melt ice. It had a remote like a garage door opener.

 

[oldag]

Dribbling the faucets will not help. Leave a stream of water running, about an 1/8" in diameter. That will allow enough flow for the warmer water coming out of the ground pipes to actually flow through the house pipes.

 

[Army 1911]

It may be more efficient & easier to place a small heater up there, as it rarely gets that cold.

I’ve seen numerous serious injuries from folks going up onto their roofs.

Also, folks up North may already have a “solution”. For example, a Surgeon-Friend once lived up in northern Minnesota. When he bought a new home, it had resistance heating wires built into the concrete driveway, to melt ice. It had a remote like a garage door opener.

There was a house in Kansas City that had a heated driveway before there were leash laws. Guess where all the dogs went to take a shit. The owner only ran that thing twice and decided it was better to shovel snow.

 

[thescoutranch]

Another option you can do is heat trace the waterlines in the attic and have all the plugs come out to one central location that goes to a single outlet or switch. Very easy just to turn the switch on when the temperatures are forecasted to be extremely low or you can connect them to thermostatic switch so if the temperature in the attic gets low enough it will turn the heat traces on.

50 ft of tape = $60
Amazon product ASIN B07QNNCBVF
Eta link

 

[hornetguy]

As a former home inspector, we were taught that the temp in the attic should be basically the same as the outside temp, to avoid condensation....
this was about 15 years ago, though, and "recommendations" may have changed by now. You know how the "experts" are.

 

[BRD@66]

I'm not qualified to speak on this but that never stopped me before. Do you have soffit vents (screens in the eaves)? If so that ought to provide enough circulation for gas concerns even with turbines & gable vets covered. I like leVieux' idea of an aux heater.

 

[338winmag]

Another option you can do is heat trace the waterlines in the attic and have all the plugs come out to one central location that goes to a single outlet or switch. Very easy just to turn the switch on when the temperatures are forecasted to be extremely low or you can connect them to thermostatic switch so if the temperature in the attic gets low enough it will turn the heat traces on.

50 ft of tape = $60
Amazon product ASIN B07QNNCBVF
Eta link

This is the answer you are looking for. You will probably need to change your pipe insulation. My washer lines freeze, and after dealing with them a second time, I’m adding some heat tapes.

 

[SA_Steve]

I've seen lots of heat tracing on industrial set-ups and investigated the stuff on Amazon this winter.
the reviews kept me away from it, lots of them don't work out of the box and most fail after 2 seasons
where's the good stuff sold?

 

[FireInTheWire]

My entire house is pex. I never cover or run water. I've never had a bust. Freeze... yes but not bust.

 

[thescoutranch]

I've seen lots of heat tracing on industrial set-ups and investigated the stuff on Amazon this winter.
the reviews kept me away from it, lots of them don't work out of the box and most fail after 2 seasons
where's the good stuff sold?

The one I linked to in my post above seems to have pretty good reviews.

 

[popper]

Get the internal foam plug, installed from inside. I replaced a copper pipe with Pex, it froze and the shark coupler came off. Got to replace the garage ceiling. I put a ball cutoff valve in the attic so it's off during winter.

 

[dsgrey]

Many decades ago I installed those on houses in Oklahoma City. Ours had a thermostat that closed at some certain temp at no additional cost (Whisper Cool brand?). Manufacturer said to NEVER cover the turbine since it would cause moisture to build up in the ball bearings.

 

[BeatTheTunaUp]

As others have said, you'll create a moisture situation where mildew and mold can start growing. Leave at least one venting.

 

[338winmag]

I've seen lots of heat tracing on industrial set-ups and investigated the stuff on Amazon this winter.
the reviews kept me away from it, lots of them don't work out of the box and most fail after 2 seasons
where's the good stuff sold?

These guys make a heat tape with a 10 year warranty. Linky. You might check them out. The warranty info is in the brochures portion of the website. I’m thinking seriously about doing this with my lines. This will insure that we will never have freezing weather again in southeast Texas.

 

[gasgas]

Freeze protection is hard to predict
Dripping is good but every house in a large neighborhood cause low water pressure and the dripping can stop
Heat tape is great until electricity goes out for a day or longer
Insulation on pipe really needs to be 2 inches thick with heat tape to do any good
The cheap stuff at home stores is really just something for them to sell and make money on:
Then sell you new plumbing fittings to make money
Shark bite products are TEMPORARY fix

 

[Dawico]

I really don't thing moisture or mildew will be an issue when it's cold enough to freeze your pipes.

 

[BeatTheTunaUp]

I really don't thing moisture or mildew will be an issue when it's cold enough to freeze your pipes.

But it is. All the heat from the house mixed with bathroom moisture just collects and makes the rafters damp. It may not be bad during an actual freeze, but just cold weather long term is a bad idea.