How do you stop taps freezing?

[Mabel98]

I have tried wrapping towels around them but it doesn't always work!

 

[Carsmore]

try putting a bin under neath and letting the tap trip very slowly

 

[Carsmore]

drip not trip!!!

 

[dwi]

Last winter our YO rigged up one of those heat lamps that you put over baby chicks! Was lovely and warm

 

[LadyRascasse]

bubble wrap with a plastic bag over it!!

 

[JamesEarwaker]

always a pain this time of the year, normaly a good thick towel wrapped around it and then a plastic bag

 

[Lanky Loll]

paper feedsacks wrapped round and tied with a plastic sack over the top - works a treat.

 

[Godknows]

Bubble wrap wrapped round and round and fixed with a tie wrap.

A lot of wraps there isn't there

 

[Mabel98]

Great, thanks for the suggestions. Off to get some bubble wrap, plastic bags and get wrapping..........
Letting them drip all night is a good idea but think I would worry the bin would overflow and then cause more problems......
Don't think YO would be keen on investing in a heat lamp but good idea, thanks

 

[billy2]

I've got loft insulation wrapped around mine, with a plastic feed sack (paper will do as well) over the top.

 

[Mickeymoo]

Pack newspaper all round tap. It does work until someone forgets to put the newspaper back on.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

lag the whole pipe properly down to the tap. put electic tracer cables on it if you have the money. otherwise lag the pipe and lag and wrap the tap up very well! fill a couple of dustbins with water for am use! girl guides '''be prepared'''. fill the kettle the night before so you can boil and use on tap if req!

 

[dozzie]

Paper is a really good insulator but you really need to cover it in plastic too to stop it getting wet.

 

[Mike007]

Slightly different situation,but when I was farming ,I would shut the water off, and blow the pipes clear with compressed air. No water, no freezing. One year it went to minus 22 daytime , (no it was not Alaska but surrey!!). Everything freezes at that temperature.

 

[sugarlump121]

Last year the yard managers other half left a tap running slowly- not dripping! Best bit was, no drain so the water ran down the downhill concrete path to the fields!

Very dangerous.

When we were up the yard late we used to turn it off, ha ha make him come out to defrost it!

 

[Pennyhp]

I would echo the heat lamp (used for baby chicks usually). That really helps. Also we have some heated electric wire that wraps around the pipes, but I am not sure if its available in the uk. Our tap is also boxed around and pink house insulation stuffed in there.

With all this my water is available down to about minus 15 after that I tend to lose it.
Tonight is around that temperature so it will be touch and go whether we have water in the morning...

 

[RobinHood]

I turn all the taps on and then turn the water off at the mains. Then there's no water left in the pipes to freeze.