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bibbus

heat tape for water pipe in unheated garage?

bibbus 7b
10 years ago

So for years, I didn't keep my heat turned on when I was away from home on trips during the winter. My house is very well insulated and the winters have been pretty mild. But this year I did have my heat on but a freak incident resulted in my heat pump being turned off the night before we had 0 temperatures. It stayed off for three days until a friend got in to turn it back on. The temperature didn't get above freezing for those three days. The pipe that froze was in the ceiling of my unheated garage (stupid construction). The plumber who repaired it recommended wrapping the pipe with heat tape and adding a thermostat. He will charge me $600 to install 30 feet of heat tape - total cost for parts and labor. Do you think I need the heat tape knowing that I likely would never accidentally turn off my heat again and that winters are not likely to be as cold as this year again. Or is $600 a good investment just in case. Thank you.

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