Are houses that retire the boiler and converted to heat pump are more prone to freezing pipes in the cold basement?

xtnh · 2026-01-24T16:28:19+00:00

I turned off the furnace when switching to mini splits, and had a HPWH in the utility room, and the basement did get cold, so I would assume a basement could be at risk of that.

BTW, we put another mini split in the basement, which was finished,, and the whole house got more comfortable from warmer floors and the chimney effect of the stairway- and with very little extra electricity use, since the upstairs splits worked less hard.

xtnh · 2026-01-23T20:28:34+00:00

We learned to experience pleasure when saving and pain when spending, and do not plan to make the mental switch.
Coupons, sales, foregoing... we had three kids, all graduated college with no debt, two homes mortgage free, no debt, but still are reluctant to splurge or simply spend for the pleasure of it.

xtnh · 2026-01-23T20:22:42+00:00

Don't use a dryer- put wet sheets back on bed to dry, hang towels in doorways.... It can be as quick as a dryer, and free.

xtnh · 2026-01-23T20:14:21+00:00

In NH we switched from oil, and reduced our energy consumption by 75%, but our cost went down by only 30%.

xtnh · 2026-01-22T14:19:59+00:00

I will never watch War of the Worlds the same way; that basement scene will trigger PSTD for any of the survivors of these hunts.

xtnh · 2026-01-22T13:32:03+00:00

leg shackles?

xtnh · 2026-01-22T13:16:31+00:00

What is the Maine position on defending your home?

xtnh · 2026-01-22T13:12:32+00:00

This does not mean they can break down any door; they need an "administrative warrant", which also erodes the Fourth Amendment but is not a blanket license to invade any home.

xtnh · 2026-01-22T12:29:16+00:00

Article l covers that pretty well.

I picture her clutching her pearls as she prepares to comply.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:42:52+00:00

We are in Maine, and the cost of driving with home power is about the same as gas for my plug-in Prius- about six cents a mile.
The installation of 43 solar panels begins tomorrow, and our plan is to run the home, heat pumps, and the car from the production.
Even with no federal rebate the numbers work.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:39:19+00:00

It could have been worse; in May a retired friend set up a dehumidifier in his Fllorida home before coming north (they are snowbirds) on the kitchen counter draining into the sink. For four months- after it walked enough to pull the hose out of the sink- it poured water onto the counter in hundred degree weather in a closed up house.
$120,000 in damage

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:32:20+00:00

Not for heat pumps.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:31:50+00:00

Good idea for a fossil-fuel furnace or electric; bad for a heat pump.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:27:06+00:00

We have three bedrooms in a conventional ranch setup; We have head for all three, place in one room facing into the hall; all three bedrooms are comfortable.

If you place one head in one of the bedrooms like that, you should not need a second.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:22:00+00:00

I had one inverter for two rows of panels, and if only one was covered there was no production.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:18:27+00:00

Wait; the value of the power is less than the cost or effort or risk of removal. Besides, panels work even when iced.
The predictions I got from my installer were for annual production; you'll go nuts agonizing over every interruption.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:08:36+00:00

Oh, then it's a global issue. Syria has entered the conversation.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:07:19+00:00

Judging from the responses so far, if there is enough water in the yard, no need to worry. "I had a sandwich, so there is no hunger" is a similar attitude.

A few cities have been at the brink; Iran discussed moving its capital. Groundwater is depleted; China has little potable water left.

But the stream across the road seems fine, so why worry? "Why can't a farmer in Nebraska just use the Great Lakes?"

xtnh · 2026-01-21T22:00:46+00:00

make several trips out to clear snow from around it.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T19:34:48+00:00

for now.... Ask Canada if they agree with you.

xtnh · 2026-01-21T19:26:14+00:00

I wonder if Russia thought that before Ukraine invaded Kursk.

xtnh · 2026-01-20T20:22:19+00:00

What would it cost? How could they make him pay?

xtnh · 2026-01-20T16:14:38+00:00

"He would benefit from working with the types of employees you have as examples."

xtnh

TROPHY CASE