lowest temperature to keep house without freezing pipes etc?

Question

I live by myself in a two-story house. After huge gas bills last winter I decided to buy a space heater, close off my bedroom and only heat my bedroom this winter. I would probably be willing to let the rest of the house go completely without heat except I know I need to keep some warmth so pipes don't freeze. My question then is what is the lowest temperature I can allow the rest of the house to be before the cold would cause damage?

Answer 1

depending on hao cold it gets where you live. 40 will keep it from freezing if you don't have temperatures that go below 0 very often. to be safe you shouldn't drop it below 50.

Answer 2

Anything over 32 - should be safe, but not necessarily...

It's possible that when the plumbing was installed, it was figured that a certain about of heat would be present - otherwise every pipe would either have to be underground or heated directly via heat tape.

I wouldn't go below 50, and then turn on the water on really, really cold days and make sure it still runs (both hot and cold).
If you know how, I'd shut off the water everywhere you can except where you are using it. If you don't drain them, they still could break but the water damage should at least be minimal.

Having busted pipes can be no fun - especially if it's in the basement and not noticed for a while.

Call your insurance agent and have flood insurance added to your policy if you don't already have it.
Yes, you need flood insurance for ANY kind of flood.

Answer 3

keeping your home around 50 should not cause problems. here are some cheap and easy things you can do to help lower your bill. cover your windows with plastic there is one type that goes on with double sided tape and you use a hair dryer to help it seal when finished it is totally transparent. get some weather stripping and use it on all exterior doors. you can purchase a weather block for the bottom of your doors and when indoors you can also lay a rolled up towel at the bottom of doors going outside or to the basement. all the things i have suggested will cost around 50.00... if you go with a space heater remember they can be a real fire danger if you are only looking to stay warm while sleeping try an electric blanket. good luck.

Answer 4

Don't forget, you will need to keep the COLDEST pipes above freezing. 40 degrees in the kitchen could mean below freezing in cabinets under the sink.

Also think about pipes that might be in the underfloor area.

Answer 5

Assuming you have good insulation and skirting, I would suggest 60 degrees. If you are not going to be there for 6 months, I would drain the water system, use anti-freeze in the fixture traps and close it up for the time. This is especially true if the house sitting does not allow you to make trips to your own home for long periods.

Answer 6

i used a space heater too last winter and it more than doubled my monthly electric bill! they use a lot of electricity. be careful! you can keep the house set at 40 but that is awfully cold. try 55 if you can afford it

Answer 7

As an added thought, just be careful about that space heater. Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector. If that thing goes bad it could kill you.

Answer 8

below freezing or frezzing level under 30 below