The fix is to pour hot water on the pipes.
Via WRAL
During February’s bitter chill, some Chapel Hill homeowners found that the homes they bought with the environment in mind could not keep up. Their brand-new heating systems suddenly stopped working when it got too cold!
At first the complaints were a trickle, but 5 On Your Side discovered the problem could end up affecting thousands of homeowners.
The “green” furnaces called 90 percent energy efficient are installed in most new homes and are a top choice for those who are replacing their furnace. They’ve become a big problem for some homebuyers in the Triangle’s largest all-green community, Chatham County’s Briar Chapel.[…]
Carolyn Carlo thought her move to Briar Chapel would yield a trouble-free and environmentally responsible retirement. Then, during the winter of 2014, her heating system failed. Condensation on her furnace froze the unit.
“We have a green house, green energy, all this high efficiency, but we don’t have heat,” she said. “I mean it’s ridiculous.”
Carlo’s neighbor, Eugene Stern said his indoor temperature dropped to 51 degrees.
Just as ridiculous, they say, was the solution that builder MI Homes offered for Carlo and Stern.
“Go outside of the house, and take a bucket of hot water, and, umm, pour it on the pipe,” Stern described.
HT: The Pirates Cove