Can you insulate washing machine pipes to prevent freezing in an unheated garage?

Answer 1

I can offer some advice on this as i have done it, and it has been largely successful. i live in the UK, so you can get an idea of the climate.

I installed copper Plumbing into my workshop to install the washing machine in there. it has a corrugated plastic roof - no insulation so gets very cold.

After some research i bought some heat tape, and taped it to the pipework, and then fitted pipe lagging ( i would say this is a must) - i also installed a simple thermometer, which also had a probe, which i fitted to the pipework, under the insulation - i wanted to see what the ambient temperature dropped to, and what the temperature on the copper pipe got down to. typically, the lagging kept the pipework about 4 degrees above the ambient temperature.

i also installed a power meter in front of the heat tape, so i knew when it was on, and by how much power it consumed.

This was installed several years ago, and has been successful in preventing frozen pipes. This winter, i did however nearly have a rupture of the rubber washing machine hoses - a large blister had formed on the hose. The rubber hose was the only part not insulated. I have since continued the insulation and heat tape across the entire length.

I also strapped the heat tape thermostat to the pipework and covered it with insulation. This was so the tape wouldn't be triggered to switch on by the ambient temperature.

as for the internals of the washing machine freezing, im sure it is possible - one day, i could tell the water in the rubber pipes had frozen ( prior to me insulating them) following a cycle, the washing machine is fairly empty of water - its not under pressure, so can expand if needed ( it cant expand in pipes and that is what bursts them)

In about 3 years, my washing machine has not suffered any ill effects from being stuck in the cold.