Frozen well pump

i said this hoping it would be used w/ the tent the OP was referring to
setting up. as far as i know new electric blankets are water resistant and
i'm assuming that the OP would shut the power off so there shouldn't be any
puddling or pouring of water. using a power cord w/ outlets that trips off
would be good too.

mike.......

Posted by betsyb on February 4, 2007, 4:47 pm

--
Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate and Starbucks!!
BetsyB

>> > I'm not getting the setup. It seems like if you had a deep well

>> > (submersible) pump, you wouldn't need one at ground level.

>> Right. I didn't know the right words. Someone mentioned the piece at

>> the

>> ground level is a riser spigot.

>> > It may just

>> > be a shallow well pump, In any event, if you allowed water up the pipe

>> > and into the pump housing, if probably froze at the top of the pipe

>> > and in the housing. If you can do it yourself, do as Ed suggested with

>> > the pump. The pipe feeding the pump may be frozen near the surface as

>> > well and need the torch. Also be careful not to drop that pipe down

>> > the well. Tie a rope to it before you disconnect it. If you can't do

>> > it yourself, I'd call well people first,before plumbers

>> I did the torch thing until my legs froze off last night. I don't think

> my

>> torch was big enough to do anything but thaw a localized area.

>> I'm going to make one last ditch effort by setting up a sawhorse/tarp

> house

>> around the spigot and put some heat lamps out there. If that doesn't

> work,

>> then a well repairman will be summoned.

>> Thanks.

> try some electric blankets laid on the ground and over the spigot cover

> the

> blankets on the ground w/ hay then cover the hay w/ a couple horse

> blankets

> or tarps but NOT plastic.

> mike........

A heat tape might work, did on our submerged pumps in Chugiak AK

Posted by Doug Miller on February 4, 2007, 9:55 am

>> I'm not getting the setup. It seems like if you had a deep well

>> (submersible) pump, you wouldn't need one at ground level.

>Right. I didn't know the right words. Someone mentioned the piece at the

>ground level is a riser spigot.

It's called a freeze-proof hydrant. If this one's been damaged, that's what
you ask for when you go to replace it.

*That* is a lot of work, though. The water line will be 3 or 4 feet below
ground, and so obviously it takes a *lot* of digging to get down there.

Your best bet, actually, is to leave it alone until the weather warms up.
Unless you can build a shed around it, you're going to have a really tough
time getting it warm enough to thaw. Any damage that may be done by freezing
has already happened, and will not worsen by leaving it alone. Carry water for
the horses from the house with buckets.

Yes, it's a pain, but I've done it before, and you can too.

Our previous home was a mini-farm. We, too, had an outside well, and multiple
hydrants in the pasture and barn. We never had a hydrant freeze -- just the
main pipe from the pressure tank to the hydrants, that's all. The previous
owners hadn't taken very good care of things: the wellhead and pressure tank
were in a small shed that had no insulation, multiple holes in the siding, and
no heat source save a single 100W light bulb. We moved in in February, and the
dang thing was frozen solid. So we spent about a month schlepping water from
the house in 5-gallon buckets for the horses.

It's not fun. But it's doable.

As soon as the weather warmed up, I repaired the freeze damage, then tore the
shed down and built a new one -- with insulation, and a 400W electric heater.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Posted by Gerry Atrick on February 4, 2007, 10:28 am

On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 14:55:14 GMT, spambait@milmac.com (Doug Miller)
wrote:

>>> I'm not getting the setup. It seems like if you had a deep well

>>> (submersible) pump, you wouldn't need one at ground level.

>>Right. I didn't know the right words. Someone mentioned the piece at the

>>ground level is a riser spigot.

>It's called a freeze-proof hydrant. If this one's been damaged, that's what

>you ask for when you go to replace it.

>*That* is a lot of work, though. The water line will be 3 or 4 feet below

>ground, and so obviously it takes a *lot* of digging to get down there.

>Your best bet, actually, is to leave it alone until the weather warms up.

>Unless you can build a shed around it, you're going to have a really tough

>time getting it warm enough to thaw. Any damage that may be done by freezing

>has already happened, and will not worsen by leaving it alone. Carry water for

>the horses from the house with buckets.

>Yes, it's a pain, but I've done it before, and you can too.

>Our previous home was a mini-farm. We, too, had an outside well, and multiple

>hydrants in the pasture and barn. We never had a hydrant freeze -- just the

>main pipe from the pressure tank to the hydrants, that's all. The previous

>owners hadn't taken very good care of things: the wellhead and pressure tank

>were in a small shed that had no insulation, multiple holes in the siding, and

>no heat source save a single 100W light bulb. We moved in in February, and the

>dang thing was frozen solid. So we spent about a month schlepping water from

>the house in 5-gallon buckets for the horses.

>It's not fun. But it's doable.

>As soon as the weather warmed up, I repaired the freeze damage, then tore the

>shed down and built a new one -- with insulation, and a 400W electric heater.

Actually, the "Shed" could be a steel 55 gallon drum with both ends
removed. Place the drum over the hydrant and put an electric space
heater inside. Cover the top with metal. That'll thaw it. If the
drum is not high enough, oyt it on concrete blocks but be sure the
entire bottom is closed.

Posted by Doug Miller on February 4, 2007, 10:40 am

>Actually, the "Shed" could be a steel 55 gallon drum with both ends

>removed. Place the drum over the hydrant and put an electric space

>heater inside. Cover the top with metal.

Wouldn't it be simpler to use a 55-gallon drum with only one end removed??

You're assuming, too, that a 55-gallon drum is long enough to cover the
hydrant. For most of the hydrants I've seen, that's not a correct assumption.

>That'll thaw it. If the

>drum is not high enough, oyt it on concrete blocks but be sure the

>entire bottom is closed.

What you're forgetting is that by this time, the hydrant is surely frozen at
least a foot below the surface, too -- so the OP needs to thaw not only the
frozen hydrant, but frozen ground too.

I still think the best way to thaw it is to wait for warm weather -- although
on a sunny day, a 55-gallon drum, painted black, with one end closed, might do
the trick.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Page 7 of 11 < 1 2 3 > last >>

Similar Threads	Posted
How Yard Hydrants Work (was: Frozen well pump - help!)	February 5, 2007, 1:12 am
sump pump drain hose frozen.. what to do?	March 14, 2007, 8:05 am
Septic Frozen?	December 18, 2005, 2:53 am
Frozen padlock	January 18, 2006, 6:22 pm
Frozen Doors?	January 22, 2006, 8:16 am
Help With Frozen YKK Zipper?	October 27, 2007, 2:03 pm
Repair A Frozen Pipe	September 23, 2005, 4:09 am
Heating pipe frozen. Please help	January 17, 2006, 7:51 am
Frozen pipe question	April 12, 2006, 5:22 pm
Frozen Ants in Freezer	May 6, 2006, 2:24 pm

XML Sitemap