re: #89 Anymouse 🌹

This house was erected in 1914 and originally did not have indoor plumbing. That was added in the 1950’s. As such, it was not designed for plumbing. (During the Fifties when polio eradication was underway and the Public Health Service mandated all homes had to have indoor plumbing to fight the disease, many homes in this area were simply abandoned as too expensive to retrofit.)

Perhaps I can get a contractor to look at my cellar and see if there’s a way to improve the insulation down there.

What’s preventing self-regulating heat tape in an insulated duct? Should be safer and cheaper than what you’ve described.