I have an external water heater in a contained closet with two copper pipes, 1", running up from under the house to the fittings, through the water heater, then back down again. Coming back home after the Texas cold snap they were split vertically in several places. I am not relishing going under the house in that mud and inspecting there!
I have a question from a physics standpoint:
- Would the copper pipes have been the weak link in terms of bursting? I have never yet seen any of my metal/galvanized pipes do this, only PVC and (now) this copper.
It's an old house so the pipes are an amalgam.
Best Answer
It is impractical to try to use pipe that is strong enough to resist the stress of freezing water. You need to insulate it and possible add heat like thermostatic controlled heat cable to prevent freezing . In smaller diameters Sch 120 steel will probably handle it , but very impractical