[MSAR] Ice storm

Gordon Wiks shalla1 at yahoo.com
Wed Jan 17 13:13:51 EST 2007


----- Original Message ----
From: Pennbo's <pennbo at verizon.net>
To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 3:34:17 PM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Ice storm


Sorry to intrude but here are a few ideas that might help...(p.s. I am now living in Pahrump Nv. and our temps are around 8 degs. at night and we are on a well also. However I lived up in the Yukon while also on a well),
  If you want to see how deep to bury your water lines safely, dig a hole now with a pick or whatever, just a small hole. What you are looking for is where the frostline//ice or icecrystals are. If the temp is low enough you will even see steam. This means that you are below the frostline and the ground will maintain the same temp regardless of weather and keep the waterlines from freezing,,,With snow as an insulator it may even warm up more. Your neighbors will probably know the depth.However if the taps freeze you still won't get water.
  Another is to wrap the well head/ pump will an insulator directly (an insulated building is less efficient.If you have the pump enclosed in a small building (depending on the size) usually anything above a 60 watt bulb left on (bare bulb) will keep the pump safe.This depends on size of building,insulation,and temp. Most extreme; in the yukon a wood shed 8x8, temps around minus 40 degs f a 100 watt bulb was used during the day with an added 60 watt at night. Usually if you wrap the wellhead or tank and the pump directly it will keep it fluid to the low minus temps.Fibreglass wraps or tank blankets.
   Another is to keep the important taps( or all of them) at a steady drip or even better a trickle. This will keep them from freezing.( I put a hose on to direct the little amount of water away from traffic and corrals and such. This may sound like a pain but it will stop pipes from bursting (a bigger pain). Another advantage is that if it freezes it will start closest to the air and even in cold weather the sun may defrost the hose if warm enough. Also I have turned the water on and keeping the hose straight forced the ice out easily at low volume and if the tap isn't frozen.
  Last believe it or not the act of freezing gives off heat so if you wrap the taps up well or insulate them it usually will stop them freezing. Many farmers up north and back east in the early days used tofill their root cellers with buckets of water with enough buckets and a small area the heat dissapating from the freezing water would raise the celler temp a degree or two stopping the freezing, a cycle that went on all winter protecting their veggies and preserves. (mind you the root cellers were usually a crawl space dug into the ground under the house.)
  If any of the helps check it out, if not sorry to have bothered you. 
shalla1 at yahoo.com


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