Preventing tank from freezing

[womble69]

Well, it was going to happen.

Cold water tank in the loft is now a beautiful giant ice cube. Solid, all the way through. Pipes and tank well lagged, but to no avail.

So, for the future, how to avoid this happening again? It has been suggested to me that one solution would be to get a fish tank heating element, set it on minimum, plug in and simply drop it into the tank over the winter.

Thoughts, anyone?

 

[Burnerman]

There are certainly worse ideas than that.....are you sure you don't live in Anchorage instead of Manchester?
Unfortunately a heating element will keep the tank contents thawed, but it won't help the fill valve.
The usual way is to drape insulation over the top of the tanks, but leave the underside clear, so any heat leakage from the ceiling below can help to keep the tank cosy.
I guess this is a price to pay for having ventilated soffits....
John

 

[muggles]

Remove any insulation from beneath the tank to allow heat from the house to rise through the ceiling, this will keep it a bit warmer. You could also have a small frost-protection heater running near it (or under it)

 

[Burnerman]

Tube heaters are a good product for cheaply warming the loft....just cost the same to run as a light bulb. One under your tank should do the trick.
John

 

[iep]

tube heater (60w or so) and a frost thermostat so it only runs when needed. Cheap to install and will make a huge difference.

I use this set up in my gagrage behind the washing machine to protect it in winter.

iep

 

[HERTS P&D]

Or crack open the loft hatch an 1" or so.

Andy

 

[womble69]

Thanks all.

I will go for the tube heater idea and will also remove some of the fibreglass insulation under the tank platform.

Burnerman - I've updated my profile - no longer in Manchester, now in Lincolnshire! Temperature here went down to -20, so no surprise that the tank froze despite lagging.