I just finished removing the furnace vent in my basement. We spent 3 months in FL and heating the basement from the same vent tube as the bedroom seemed to be a waste. No need to heat this area if the...
Or you could do like we did when I was a kid. We would run a drop cord and 100watt light to the pump house to keep it from freezing. But that assumes you are watching the weather. Your original set up was a form of "don't have to think" for the general public.;)