Well house heater

[Porksboy]

Crap, my well froze. Had a 100 watt bulb in it that took a shit, now I have no H2O. I put an oil filled radiator heater in the house to hopefully warm it enough.
I need to keep this from happening again.

Any reccomendations on a thermostat controlled solution? This rarely happens in north west GA so I shouldnt need much. no broken pipes unless they are down in the hole. Drilled well with pump at the bottom of a 250+ foot hole.

 

[Maggot]

Crap, my well froze. Had a 100 watt bulb in it that took a shit, now I have no H2O. I put an oil filled radiator heater in the house to hopefully warm it enough.
I need to keep this from happening again.

Any reccomendations on a thermostat controlled solution? This rarely happens in north west GA so I shouldnt need much. no broken pipes unless they are down in the hole. Drilled well with pump at the bottom of a 250+ foot hole.

The oil filled heaters have a thermo control dont they. No more than you'd need it just use that. Of course if the power goes off that wont help. You might want to try a Mr. Heater Little Buddy and a propane tank. On its lowest setting a small propane tank will run it at least for a day or two.

 

[swede413]

Crap, my well froze. Had a 100 watt bulb in it that took a shit, now I have no H2O. I put an oil filled radiator heater in the house to hopefully warm it enough.
I need to keep this from happening again.

Any reccomendations on a thermostat controlled solution? This rarely happens in north west GA so I shouldnt need much. no broken pipes unless they are down in the hole. Drilled well with pump at the bottom of a 250+ foot hole.

Amazon product ASIN B0B34PPBXS

 

[Porksboy]

If the power goes out I wont have water, only matter if the pipes bust.

 

[Yasherka]

Have you looked at heat tape?

Frost King 30 ft. Automatic Electric Heat Cable Kit Accessory HC30A - The Home Depot

Frost King Automatic Electric Heat Cable Kit is designed for use on metal and plastic water pipes to help prevent the pipes from freezing.

www.homedepot.com

 

[Maggot]

If the power goes out I wont have water, only matter if the pipes bust.

Little Buddy is your answer.

 

[ewoaf]

I'm guessing this is a surface pump? I'd really consider a pitless submersible and eliminate the surface production.

 

[Porksboy]

Pump is not on the surface it is 250 ish feet down with water in a column above. What is a pitless submersible? My pump feeds to an accumulator tank with a pressure bladder to keep the pump from cycling too frequently. The water then goes to the house about 300 feet away.
Any suggestions on getting it thawed and working?

 

[ewoaf]

Pump is not on the surface it is 250 ish feet down with water in a column above. What is a pitless submersible? My pump feeds to an accumulator tank with a pressure bladder to keep the pump from cycling too frequently. The water then goes to the house about 300 feet away.
Any suggestions on getting it thawed and working?

A pitless adapter gets your plumbing underground, runs the water under the house and the pressure tank should go in the crawl space or basement. That way you've got nothing above ground outside.

 

[TXAZ]

Insulate the inner walls of the well house to improve cold weather operations?

 

[Seed tick]

Heat bulb?

 

[E. Bryant]

Have you looked at heat tape?

Frost King 30 ft. Automatic Electric Heat Cable Kit Accessory HC30A - The Home Depot

Frost King Automatic Electric Heat Cable Kit is designed for use on metal and plastic water pipes to help prevent the pipes from freezing.

www.homedepot.com

This + rigid foam insulation is what we used on my dad's wellhouse.

 

[dan440]

I have an AcuRite system for my RV in Northern MI.
It has remote, wireless temp sensors. I have one hanging on my pressure switch on the bladder tank in my pump house. You can set high and low alarms for each sensor, so you’re aware of an issue before everything freezes.

As to the operation on my heat lamp, I bought a thermo plug to go in line before my heat lamp. It switches power on at 35f, and off at 50f. Bought it at the hardware store.

As others have said, insulate your pump house. Up here I even have a layer of straw bales around the base of mine.

Good luck

 

[Missalot]

I use the heat tape (back up to the trouble lights) along with 2 100 watt trouble lights (2 in case one burns out-traditional bulbs don't last very long) but I don't like them running all the time so I use them in conjunction with a thermal cube switch. The cube plugs into the outlet and provides 2 more outlets. The cube turns on when the temperature hits about 35 degrees and is rated for about 15 amps. I got mine at Home Depot. Search thermal cube.

 

[missed]

Heat trace plus insulation is the best like others have said.

If your putting it on non metallic piping make sure and put a layer of foil tape down, then put the cable on, then foil again over the cable. Then insulate over all that. Make sure and get your pressure switch wherever it may be. The heat trace should only be around 5 watts per foot which will use significantly less power than one of the well house heaters. You can add an ambient thermostat or bulb thermostat that goes on the pipe to control it also. The ambient thermostat will be cheaper. Hopefully your pump didn't run too long dead headed and hurt it.

 

[ggmanning]

I insulate the hell out of the well house. Used to use heat tape and it works but a well insulated well house and heavy guage plastic covering the whole pump assembly and no issues since. The house and plastic gather and maintain the natural temp of the gound and well.

 

[Srgt. Hulka]

https://www.intermatic.com/Catalog/us/Products/Pool-And-Spa/Freeze-Protection/PF1103

 

[1911hombre]

Just build a small insulated “dog house” over whatever above-ground pipes/ pressure tanks/ whatever exist in the well house. Get a sheet of 2” styrofoam and build dog house out of that keep it as small as possible. One heat bulb will take care of it up here in Minnesota.

 

[Porksboy]

Solved the problem. Not frozen, the controller took a shit on me. New one installed and now to take a shower.
Thaks for the suggestions, The well house is a fibre glass "rock". It has sprayed insulation on the inside. I kept a small bulb in there for when it gets cold, im going to change that to a heater on a thermostat.

 

[missed]

https://www.supplyhouse.com/White-Rodgers-1E65-144-Electronic-Digital-Line-Voltage-Thermostat-Non-Programmable-14383000-p

It's one of the less expensive versions. You can turn this one down to 45 degrees. I have mine set at 50 so if I have a loss of power I have time to deal with it before it gets to freezing.

I have everything on mine heat traced and insulated so I'm applying heat directly to the system piping. Do not forget to have heat and insulation on your control devices.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

The well freeze struggle is real. That oil-filled radiator is a clever quick fix. Anyone got thermostat-controlled suggestions to save this well from another deep freeze in NW GA?

I have a ton of unused Q-tip jokes to engage right about now....

Sirhr