Insulating ... The Kitchen Sink!

Just dumped $300 more into the attic last Fall for fiberglass insulation; R57 now in Northern Ohio. Gas consumption dropped significantly (although total cost increased, of course. Deregulation... privatization... my fanny!)

Anyway, with temperatures in the 20's the last few days, I found my kitchen sink (porcelain on steel) to be as cold as an ice block. Ran the water and, as expected, it's extremely cold. Began to think I have a hole in the house by the sill plate (rodent perhaps. Anything's possible.) But then I went to the second floor and felt the commode's water tank. Just as cold.

Now maybe I'm taking this insulation project a bit far (now in its third year and still making reductions in CCF's consumed without lowering the Tstat) but there HAS to be some way to prevent that kitchen sink from getting so cold.

Anyone have a similar experience? Find a solution?

Reply to
John Gregory
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Closed spaces loose heat to the outside as one would expect. Since air doesn't circulate through the air trapped in the space, it doesn't match general inside temp. Checking for gaps in the insulation envelope is a good idea in any case. TB

Reply to
tbasc

Reply to
John Gregory

I put a dishwasher in my sister in law's house in Milwaukee December before last. Exterior temp was around 30=BA. It was so cold under her cabinets I had to wear a coat. She had built-ins in her dining room where she kept her dishes. It was like keeping the dishes in the fridge! She learned she had to take them out in advance and warm them up otherwise the serving dishes would shatter when she put hot food in them. Her brother is a contractor and this last summer he blew insulation in all the walls from the outside. This winter all those problems are gone and she's paying 1/4 less for heat. Not too impressive until you know that the gas cost per cubic foot has doubled. Richard

Reply to
spudnuty

Ahhh! WALL insulation IS helpful, isn't it! --Phil

Reply to
Phil Munro

Of course the water will be cold- but I wonder if any radical super- insulationist has tried putting thermal breaks in the plumbing- drain and supply lines, so there is no continuous metal from outside house to inside....just a thought.

Reply to
Sev

That wouldn't do much good. Water is an excellent heat conductor.

Bill Gill

Reply to
Bill Gill

Is this an unusual problem or is it fairly common? I've lived in this house for 25 years and never noticed it to this degree. But... I'm older, just came off a decent sized insulation project so heat retention easily comes to mine. Or... I got a damn hole in the house ... which is unlikely 'cause I do a decent job of maintenance.

I did a quick search for thermo blocks. Aside from wrapping the pipes underneath, nothing else looked applicable. The two of pipe under the sink that's exposed to the air under the sink - that doesn't get circulated - probably does contribute to making that cavity cold under there but by how much I have no idea.

Reply to
John Gregory

But not compared to copper- though you'd have to do tests to determine the practical significance. Just checked The Physics Hypertextbook- copper coefficient of conductivity= 401 , water 0.679

Reply to
Sev

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