Last winter I spent 3 weeks Charlotte SC and it went down to 17 deg. The only freeze up I had was in the supply hose. I wrapped pipe insulation around it and felt insulation around the little drains. I did not let the gray tank fill up.
I assumed that everything was well insulated. But my drains and water lines under the tub were un-insinuated. All of the insulation was removed to make the channel they lay in. See my gray water tank replacement posts for more pictures.
Now, after having spent a few weekends under the tub, I understand how I survived.
Here is what I think saved me in Charlotte.
1. I bought 2 electric heaters. Electricity in included in the rent and a heater costs about the same as one tank of gas. See my post about a second breaker for the hidden outlet behind the stove.
2. I ran one heater on low, all of the time.
3. I left the bathroom vent fan on. I didn’t know where it was, but I like to keep the toilet well vented.
Actually the fan is in the side of the tub next to the toilet. It exhausts past all of those un-insulated pipes and keeps them warm.
As you can see in the attached, my pipes now have insulation.
Next time I am in the cold world, I will fill most of the hole where the drain trap is with fiberglass. I also intend to buy the external cover that the newer TMs have.
Note!
It is not as hard to remove a pre-2007 tub as I made it. Actually it is about a 30 minute job. More on that later.
Al
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