Shop sink anti-freeze heater

[bkenobi]

I store my tractor in an unheated shop that has a sink inside some repurposed kitchen cabinets. There is a small hot water tank next to the sink and the cold water supply line also feeds a hose bib right behind the sink on the outside. The shop has insulation in the wall, but I've had the bib rupture in the past.

There is a light bulb under the sink that I turn on in winter. With the bulb on, there really shouldn't be an issue with freezing. However, incandescant bulbs are necoming harder to find and, more importantly, the bulb has burned out 2x this year (don't know why).

What do others use to keep things from freezing? I can't use pipe heat tape as the lines are mostly PEX. Also, that doesn't help the sink drain line. I picked up a fish tank heater today, but I'm not convinced this is the right unit or approach.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Heat lamp bulb:
https://www.amazon.com/theBlueStone...ocphy=9061285&hvtargid=pla-397062632368&psc=1

 

[mcfarmall]

Shut the water off and drain the system for the winter.

 

[RNeumann]

Why isn’t the water heater under the sink? The water heater is giving off enough heat to solve your issue.

 

[Raspy]

You can use a frost-proof hose bib. I don't see why you can't use heat tape on a PEX line. Why is that? Leaving the water heater on and using it's waste heat may help too, for instance, if the little water heater was mounted in a vanity under the sink, it would keep the lines and the trap from freezing.

 

[jwstewar]

I turn the water off to my garage, turn the water heater off, drain it, and blow the lines out. I then have a small section of heat tape where the line comes up out of the concrete to the first valve. Been using it that way since 2004. Incoming line is too far from the sink to try to heat it. From the time I put the line in and when I actually put stuff in, plans changed.

 

[jaxs]

Ace Hardware and I'm sure others,sell a plug in cube with outlet which come's on at 38F and off at 50F. You can control 130 volt bulbs,heat tape or anything less than 1800 wats (120 volts at 15 amps). They also carry self regulating heat tapes. 130 volt bulbs last much longer than 120 v bulbs and of course heat tape should last for years. If you are nervous about using heat tape on plastic pipe (although mfgr say's it's ok),wrap tape around a lingeth of steel or copper pipe suspended within the insulated space beneath sink. Heat from tape will act same as light bulbs plus it's t-stat controlled.

 

[bkenobi]

I was considering the ceramic bulb if nothing else looked like a better option.

The water must stay in as the hose bib feeds my bird auto water. I have the exterior water supply to birds close to freeze proof (down to around 25F which is good enough for my location). I turn off water and use heated waterer bucket if colder sustained.

I was considering moving the water heater tank to an instant hot and installing under sink. The current tank is too big (7 gallon I think). I turned it off and drained it a few years back as I don't use much hot water out there and I didn't want to freeze it if I turned it off.

Those power cube tstats are cool and an option. I'd have to wire it in somehow since the bulb is mounted in ceramic fixture.

I use heat tape on a hose for bird water. Mfg told me not to as not spec'd for plastic. It's worked fine for years. I had to replace it when rats got to it, but working great otherwise.

 

[jaxs]

Any place that sell's electric supplies sell's an outlet gizmo that screw's in a standard bulb socket.

Lowes Item # 17576 Model # 6502 $2.98 + tax out the door.

 

[bkenobi]

Right, but then I'd have a screw in to plug adapter then cube then plug to bulb adapter then ceramic heater. I seriously considered it but it looked too ugly for me. It would have worked though!