Cold weather ahead

Weather said to get cold. i want to make sure attic pipes OK. I read attics should be 60 degrees in winter which i presume is F. That is around 15C. Mine is 7C now

Would it be a good idea to put a blow heater there and have it set to go on and off?

Any advice welcome

10-10-20

No, don't waste the effort or energy of putting a heater up there unless you have a very specific situation where it's needed.

Attics should be laid out where the cold water tank is above a bare patch in the ceiling where there's little or no insulation so that the rising heat from the house keeps the tank above freezing. Additionally pipes should be lagged and covered under insulation too, if possible. The rest of the attic should then be insulated to whatever the recommended spec is (350mm of glasswool?).

If you have pipes which travel very close to an uninsulated tile then these may need additional protection.

If you have a significant concern then post photos here, but under normal circumstances nobody should need to be be running heaters in an attic in Ireland.

sbb11975

Attic temperature reading -3. Should I be concerned?

10-10-20

I'd have to ask are your pipes lagged, is the house underneath heated and do you have a history of frozen pipes in the area?

sbb11975

Yes, pipes lagged, but joints exposed. Bungalow well heated and warm underneath. Water tank insulated but open. We updated the attic insulation during the summer to add another ft of knauf. Also changed soffit/ facia and insisted on vents (per regs) after contractor said we didn't need. So attic temperature seems to pretty much reflect ambient temperature now ( -4.5 this morning). Wonder should I be leaving hatch open for periods during this cold snap? Cautious as we changed the thermodynamics of the attic space. No problems as yet.

10-10-20

If you're hitting minus numbers in the actual attic and the pipe joints are exposed, then yes I'd be doing something to mitigate the cold in the pipes. Why are the joints exposed though? Can that be rectified as this isn't even a deep-freeze event?

My attic has new insulation in parts, but I'm seeing 9.1 degrees in the main body of it this morning.

sbb11975

See above. Temperature reflects ambient I presume due to venting and instillation. Can always foam insulate joints I suppose.

10-10-20

Yes, I'd fit oversized insulation on the joints there. I don't know what that vertical pipe is doing in that position, but it's worth protecting it given the amount of insulation on the ceiling.

Measure and compare to the diameters available below.

https://brooksonline.ie/insulation/pipe-insulation

sbb11975

Thanks. I insulated last night.

my attic is 0.6c now There is insulation around the tank and on the floor but not under the tank itself as i wanted heat rising there. The pipes are not insulated. When i run water i hear it filling again. Does that look OK. I will be putting insulation on the pipes when i get a chance

Also i wondered about the relative humidity in the attic. It is currently 75%. I was reading that too much could cause wood to rot?

youtheman

Went away for a few days so turned off the water and drained down the header tank and the H.W. cylinder. Have a U.V. lamp in the attic on a frost stat. When I came back and turned the water back on the shower pump would not work. Thought it might be full of crap from the drain down. Eventually tracked it down to a frozen pipe just off the header tank. Haven't seen the likes since the last 'big freeze' in 2010.