Post & Pier Plumbing

[MudBath]

Hello everyone.  I'm new to all of this, so please over-look my dumb questions.

I am looking at a cabin to buy.  It's a nice sturdy cabin built on a post and pier.  I'm looking for a place I can enjoy weekends and summer vacations at, with my kids and grandkids.  Someday when I retire, I want to give-up my big house in town and retire year around to the cabin.  At present, it's new construction.  Basicly a blank slate.  What I'm having a hard time understand is this post and pier foundation.  Not as in it's construction or how it will hold up.  Nothing like that.  The part I can't grasp is... the cabin is in a four season location.  How does one keep the pipes from freezing?  It's open under the cabin!  I'm from Ohio, and I know what isn't protected will freeze up and not work.  Not to mention damage.  I was thinking about building a block foundation around it.  But, you'd have to pour a footer and I can't see any way that will be easy to do.  Has anyone else ran into this problem?

Thank you,
Casper

[hunter63]

My log cabin is built this way.
I drain my pipes if going to be away, in the winter, designed it so it all drains down to the lowest point.
Water shut off at floor, inside, is heat tapped to 60 gal pressure bury tank, (8 ft deep) open drain and all taps.
R.V. anti-freeze in traps, toilet, water heater drained also.

In real cold weather when I'm there, have heat tape on trap for shower, so it won't freeze overnite, it's the only trap out side the building.
Cabin sits up on 2 solid concrete blocks, on sonit tubes.
This summer I blocked it between the support blocks, dry stacked block, on patio blocks, to block the wind.
Also added insulation under floor and visqueen ground cloth for moisture.


So, I guess we'll see how well it works, gotta believe the floor should be warmer.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Mudbath, I'm glad you asked because that was one of those questions I've been meaning to ask and haven't gotten around to it.  
Hunter, have you moved to the cabin yet?  

[glenn kangiser]

You could also frame it in with wood - treated near the ground - insulate behind - use a layer of felt and if you want to bring gravel or soil up to the bottom put a layer of 6 mil min plastic under the soil or gravel a ways out and continue it up the wall behind your siding.  Either use treated near the ground or figure the first 6 inches is going to be sacrificial.  A good sealer could help.

I do similar to this around the underground complex.

...and welcome to the forum, Mudbath.

[peter nap]

It's a common problem without a pat solution. The cabin I'm building will have a low point drain in both hot and cold water. The drain in hot will be located so it DOES NOT drain the water in the solar pipes.

Both drains use electric irrigation system valves on timers. When I leave, flip the drain switch and the pump disconnects, the timer with the relay for the drain starts. It will drain for 30 minutes and shut itself off.

The traps are another issue. If you do a search here, we had a thread on traps not long ago. I still haven't decided what route to take. The easy solution is to pour a slug of antifreeze in the drain before leaving.

[hunter63]

Homegrown, still here in the city, but getting closer, to the move, looking at pole barns and a garage.
Need room to put all this "stuff".

Problem is, all the contractors in the area working on rebuilding after the flooding.
Just about wiped out Gays Mills a while back.

Not much damage at "The Place" but did have part of the drive wash out, and still too wet to do much without tearing up thge ground even more.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I'll try this again... not posting well today.
Hunter, I'm glad that your cabin didn't get damaged, at least!  I didn't realize all that was so close to your place.  There were some folks around here who got hit, too, but our house was fine.  I could see the flooding from the dining room, and the little creek across the road became a lake for a few days, but it seemed to receed pretty quickly.  Our garage got a little soaked, but it was a good excuse to toss some junk.  

Was up by your place in town the other day to eat at Soon's Sushi Cafe'.  Really nice folks that own it...she's Korean and he's American.  I don't like sushi too much, but they do have a few Korean items on the menu... the dolsot bi-bim-bab was good.  The lady told me that people in this area don't like Korean food... it's too spicy.  They'd invited us to church within two minutes of coming in.  If you get an urge for something different for dinner, you might give it a try.

As to the topic of this thread, I especially wonder about it in a northern climate.  In OK, our old house used to have major problems with freezing pipes in winter... there was no heat in the bathroom at all, and the kitchen was an icebox even with the old dearborne heater roaring.  One year, the washing machine froze up and busted, and that was with an electric space heater practically  touching it.  We were on a crawlspace foundation there.  It's so much colder and for so much longer in Wisconsin that I really wonder how you'd keep stuff from freezing, especially during a bitterly cold winter like the one before last.  I don't know how my uncle in OK keeps his house on the pier foundation from freezing up either... their house is always really pleasantly warm and cozy in winter.  I need to call him about something else anyway, so I'll try to remember to ask him if he uses heat tape or insulation or what?  Maybe he makes the dogs all sleep under the house in the winter???  

[MudBath]

I do appreciate everyone's thoughts and replies...  I'm sure the "cabin" even though it's new construction, was never meant for year around use.  But, I know I want to use it year around!  Spending Holidays there.  Right now, my mind set is to pour a footer and lay cement blocks around the perimeters of the cabin.  Much like Hunter63 has done.  But I think I'll go a more permanent route.  I've even thought about using the cement block that is textured like stone on one side for a more rustic look.  After all, plans are to have a place to have fun with the grandchildren...but it would be a place I'd like to retire to.

I grew-up Old Order German Baptist.  (Like the Amish for those that weren't sure.)  I can live without electric for the most part.  Phones and TVs really are not high on my "needs" list also.  But I can't do without running water!  A modern bathroom is a must!  And, in a cold house... the water stops running.  As I get older, I'll admit the cold bothers me more than it used to.

PS: Thank you for the "Welcomes" too!  

[peter nap]

[highlight]I grew-up Old Order German Baptist.  (Like the Amish for those that weren't sure.)  I can live without electric for the most part.[/highlight]

I grew up in Mennonite country. I went to school, hunted and trapped with many Old Order Mennonite Kids. I think they had as much to do with my self sufficient quest as anything. I'll remember the windmills in the valley to my dieing day.
Wonderful People!

[desdawg]

I wrestle with the same problem with this singlewide mobile home I am staying in. To date I have it completely skirted, wood frame and wood siding. I have insulated all the water pipes, have built a compartment around the pump and pressure tank which are also under the house. I keep a light bulb going in that compartment. The majority of the plumbing is 60' -70' away at the other end of the house and I have an electric space heater with it's own internal thermostat running there. It is plugged into a switched outlet and the switch is in my utility room topside so I can turn it on and off without crawling underneath. I have both hot and cold lowpoint drains and when I am not going to be here I pull the pump and drain it. If I were at the other house, off grid I would have an entire different set of problems or at least would need a different set of solutions in the winter time. So far it hasn't gotten all that cold yet, below freezing a couple of nights is all. But it has worked so far this winter. I am finished with the remodel I was doing on another house and ready to head back to the desert for a while.