A month or two ago I installed a washer in my uninsulated garage. Now that we're getting some very cold weather coming up I'm worried about the rubber water lines freezing. I did put some foam insulation on the lines but I don't think they'll be enough. I put a thermometer in there and it tends to stay around 30-40 degrees in there. This weekend we're going to get into the negatives overnight so I was curious as to what everyone's thoughts were on an electric space heater. It would be right near the washing machine as well as the oil tank, but the furnace is in the cellar.
Obviously every precaution says don't leave it unattended and such but do you think I'd be okay for at least letting it run for a little while during the day to generate some heat? If not what else do you suggest? Am I getting too concerned about the rubber lines freezing?
Thanks.
Best Answer
Instead of a space heater, try some pipe heating cable. This is a simple electric resistance heater that is designed to be wrapped around pipes in order to prevent freezing. The good ones have a thermostat built-in, so they'll only kick on if necessary.
You wrap the cable around your pipes, apply insulation over the wrapped pipes, and plug it in. This will be a little trickier around your washer supply hoses, but assuming these don't move a lot you can probably just use some duct tape every 6" or so.