keeping a water well from freezing in the south

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by danez_yoda

This is a back country Louisiana "good buddy" install. From the well is about 10 feet from the house. The pump is right next to the house. The well sticks above the ground about a foot then goes back down in the ground. That underground run ((??? how deep??)) to the pump on the side of the house. It comes up into the pump then to the tank which is right beside the pump. Then from the tank into the house. Looks sort of like this but it is right next to a brick house and the plumbing work is not nearly as neat but it gets there. There is a 2x4 frame box build around it with an old tarp around it. We leave one side open to prevent the pump from overheating in the summer (100+ degrees) Don't know if it needs it since there is 60 degree water flowing through the pipes it is pumping but this is just a precaution. never tested it. just last week I had to call my cousin to get him to go over there to look things over. My "dont want to bother anyone" mom told him ooohh that's ok its muddy over there and I don't want you to get yourself dirty for that little thing. Then fed him some Okra gumbo and sent him on his way. SMH!!!!! Had to call both of them on a conference call and let them know a freeze was coming and this needs to be done. I paypaled my cousin $50 to make it official so my mom would not block him again. SMH!!. the problem is she wont turn off the light when it warms up and it will run all year long and probably burn out before next winter. Thats why I want a thermostat based model. Some good ideas already presented that I will look into. I wanted to get some ideas so next time I'm down, I can take care of that with a maintenance free solution so I don't need to worry about it going forward.

Well the well itself won't freeze and the pump is located at the bottom of the well. You could always wrap the exposed piping in pipe insulation of just put a well head cover over the entire thing. That'll keep the wind off.

 

[JLTD]

Originally Posted by AZjeff

Originally Posted by Nick1994

Either use a smart plug to connect to WiFi so you can control it

Good idea. Smart aleck kid.

Except his Mom is 80.

Originally Posted by ragtoplvr

Heat tape. Built in thermostat. Rod

If the pipes are above ground, we have a winner here. Buy it once, wrap it once, plug it in and done.

 

[Donald]

Where is the pump? Looks like its underground. You do not need to worry about overheating in the summer.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by danez_yoda

There is a 2x4 frame box build around it with an old tarp around it. We leave one side open to prevent the pump from overheating in the summer (100+ degrees) Don't know if it needs it since there is 60 degree water flowing through the pipes it is pumping but this is just a precaution. never tested it.

The pump can't overheat, it is a submersible pump that is submerged in the water at the bottom of the well casing pipe X feet underground. If it were me I would do like others have said and build an insulated dog house over it with a door on one side big enough to get the tank through when it needs replacement, a removable roof panel so that you can get the pump out when it needs replacement, and incandescent light(s) with a thermostat for heat when it gets bitter cold. In the mean time, just use the setup that your dad made and add a thermostat to the lights.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by c502cid

Originally Posted by wag123

Originally Posted by madRiver

Another tip, if all else fails. leave a tap partially open and the water keep flowing. It generally won't freeze.

If there is a well, there probably is a septic system. You definitely don't want to leave a faucet running if you have a septic system.

Curious on why you'd say this. Lots and lots of people, including myself, do this. A small stream of water running all night out of a couple of faucets is a lot less than one of my daughters showers.

You would be surprised at how fast you can flood a septic system this way. My neighbor had a toilet flapper that was leaking a little and his septic system was flooding his back yard.

 

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by JLTD

Originally Posted by AZjeff

Originally Posted by Nick1994

Either use a smart plug to connect to WiFi so you can control it

Good idea. Smart aleck kid.

Except his Mom is 80.

The intent was OP would control it from his phone remotely. Good idea if mom won't fuss with it or ask nearby relatives for help. Are you assuming 80 yo mom doesn't have internet?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by wag123

Originally Posted by c502cid

Originally Posted by wag123

Originally Posted by madRiver

Another tip, if all else fails. leave a tap partially open and the water keep flowing. It generally won't freeze.

If there is a well, there probably is a septic system. You definitely don't want to leave a faucet running if you have a septic system.

Curious on why you'd say this. Lots and lots of people, including myself, do this. A small stream of water running all night out of a couple of faucets is a lot less than one of my daughters showers.

You would be surprised at how fast you can flood a septic system this way. My neighbor had a toilet flapper that was leaking a little and his septic system was flooding his back yard.

Perhaps but this particular water well is located in southern Louisiana (Humid-Subtropical) where freezing temps last for a matter of hours rather than days. A faucet set to drip for 8 hours is not going to cause the septic system to back up.

 

[Elkins45]

This sort of situation is why heat tapes were invented. Anybody who ever hooked up water to a mobile home in an area where it gets cold knows how well a heat tape works to keep your inlet from freezing where it crosses the gap from the ground to the trailer bottom. You don't even have to insulate them.

 

[wag123]

The OP's mom doesn't live any farther south in LA than I do in TX. Occasionally we can have cold snaps down here that can last 3-4 days and it has been known to get as low as 10 degrees. I have had problems with pipes freezing at my lake house about every 4 years or so when it does this (it is on a well and has a septic system). I <span style="font-weight: bold">always</span> turn the water off when I leave. I finally gave-up on planting palm trees because of this.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by wag123

The OP's mom doesn't live any farther south in LA than I do in TX. Occasionally we can have cold snaps down here that can last 3-4 days and it has been known to get as low as 10 degrees. I have had problems with pipes freezing at my lake house about every 4 years or so when it does this (it is on a well and has a septic system). I always turn the water off when I leave. I finally gave-up on planting palm trees because of this.

Well ya, when nobody is there of course you turn off the water. My point was that setting a faucet to drip overnight isn't going to cause a problem with the septic system because the occupant surely will use water the following morning.

 

[Ws6]

My setup is well outside, pressure tank inside, buried lines. -15*f so far with no issue. When I grew up, we had a setup similar to what you describe, minus tent. I dont recall any issues, we just let the faucets drip.