Mobile homes are, for many people, a cost-effective alternative to traditional housing. A mobile home is differentiated from a traditional, fixed, home in that there is generally no in-ground foundation on which the home is built. Instead of an in-ground foundation, a mobile home will generally sit on an above ground foundation consisting of cement blocks or the like. Piping, such as water piping will generally be installed below the floor of the mobile home and a space is usually left between the ground and the bottom of the mobile home to allow for piping to be accessed. In locations where temperatures seldom drop below freezing, the presence of piping in the space between the floor and the ground has little effect on the reliability of the system. However, in locations where temperatures drop and stay below freezing during the winter months, these under-floor pipes are prone to freezing.
A number of solutions have been developed in order to prevent freezing of water pipes. The most common of these solutions is to wrap a layer of electrical heating tape around the pipes and surround the heating tape with insulation. This solution is generally effective at keeping pipes from freezing. However, the electrical nature of the heating tape makes this solution a potentially deadly one as heating tapes are known to short circuit, causing the mobile homes to ignite and burn in a very short period of time. In fact, it is estimated that over one hundred deaths per year are attributable to fires caused by faulty heating tape in mobile homes. Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus to prevent freezing of exposed piping that does not pose a fire risk.
A number of United States patents address the problem of preventing water pipes from freezing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,059, titled "Methods and Apparatus for Prevention of Water Pipe Freeze-up In A Dwelling" describes a method whereby some of the cold water entering the dwelling is circulated into heat exchanging relationship with the hot water tank and is then caused to flow through a cold water main whenever a sensor senses the temperature has dropped below freezing. This method has not gained acceptance due to cost of installing the system and the requirement that water be discharged from the system whenever the temperature is below freezing. In addition, the subsequent freezing of discharged water when temperatures reach extreme cold temperatures can cause this system to fail, leaving the pipes unprotected. Therefore, there is a need for a cost effective method of preventing freezing that is not wasteful of water and eliminates the possibility that ice buildup will cause the system to fail.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,937, titled "Freeze Buster", discloses a water freeze prevention device that includes a mechanism that is installed between a water meter and incoming water pipes to drain the water pipes and prevent the pipes from freezing during severe cold weather. This system is effective at preventing freezing of the pipes but is also wasteful of water and requires time for pressure to be restored in the system following purge. Therefore, there is a need for a system that prevents freezing of pipes without interrupting the flow of cold water entering the home.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,239 utilizes a heat pipe that is buried in the ground at one end and located adjacent to the pipes that require freeze protection at the other end. This system is subsequently insulated and the heat pipe acts to use the warmth of the ground to heat the pipes. This system has not gained acceptance due to the high cost of the system and the variations in frost lines from location to location that prevents uniform application of its principles. Therefore, there is a need for a system that prevents freezing of pipes irrespective of the depth of the frost line at a given location.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,908, titled "Prevention of Freeze Damage to Liquid Conduits", describes a system that includes a sealed length of tubing, filled with an inert gas under pressure, which surrounds the piping. In this system, the inert gas acts both as an insulator and as a means of preventing expansion and bursting of the pipes should the pipes freeze. However, this system is costly as pressurization requires a tube which can act as a pressure vessel, is prone to failure due to leakage of the inert gas through pressure seals and does not alert a user that the pipes are unprotected until the pipes freeze. Therefore, there is a need for a system for preventing freezing in pipes which does not require pressurization and alerts a user when the pipes are unprotected.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,179 discloses a system that circulates air from the forced hot air heating system into a well hole and onward through the rest of the piping system. This system overcomes many of the problems addressed above as it is not dependent on the frost line at a particular location and alerts a user when the pipes are unprotected. However, this system also has drawbacks as the inadequacy of the air circulation pattern requires that insulated pipe is used, adding substantially to the system cost, and that heat tape also is applied as a precautionary measure to prevent freezing, creating the same fire hazard as with systems utilizing only heat tape.
There is not known in the art a system for preventing freezing of pipes in mobile homes that is cost effective, does not expose users to the risk of fire, is not wasteful of water, cannot fail due to ice buildup, is not dependent upon the frost line of a particular location, does not require pressurization, and alerts a user when the pipes are unprotected.