Geezz is it cold out or what?

I am looking at the thermometer and I have a cool 7 degrees. As I get older I find I am not as thrilled with seeing the snow come as I was when I was a kid. As an adult I have had to consider things my parents did in the winter months that I did not even know about, and as a kid finding a candle to grease up the runners on my sled was the biggest concern. I now live in a mobile home. Anybody who also lives in one in the cold regions know the misery of manning the hairdryer in zero degree weather when the pipes freeze. I have decided I am done with that extracurricular activity. I have enclosed my bladder tank and related piping in that hard board like insulation, making a box around it and the crawl space getting to it. I then took a cinder block and placed it near the bladder tank and upon the cinder block placed a short bedside type lamp with a 60 watt bulb. I ran a heavy duty extension cord into the back room and plugged it in. My crawlspace went from 38 degrees to 44 degrees pretty quickly. I can unplug the cord without crawling under the trailer when the weather is a little warmer. The reason for the cinder block is that it tends to get moist in the crawlspace and the block keeps the electric lamp above ground level. Depending on how long your crawlspace is, and how much duct tape you want to use, and prices of insulation in your area this project will vary in cost. I spent a little under $100.00, but...at 3am when you get up and flush the toilet and the thing fills up and it is zero outside....there is comfort. With the new move to eliminate the old light bulbs I an a little tempted to start hording the 60 watt'ers. I go through about 1-2 a year and I am hoping to be around for another 40 years or so, so I need to buy at least 80 of them to keep my pipes from freezing until I die, just in case they quite selling them anytime soon. It is much more expensive to replace the broken pipes than run a light when the temps get near zero. I would estimate it adds about $30.00 over 5-6 months to my electric bill. This is a do it your self project that is well worth the effort, and anybody with any skill level can do it. This idea was passed to me from my Dad, boy is he smart!

Do-it-yourself Handyman
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Have a good one..
Deb