Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Jan 15, 2009, at 6:59 AM, Lynn Wigglesworth wrote:

> If it's a cellar with a roof, what keeps it from freezing?

Earth temperature from the floor. Insulation outside walls and over  
roof. Light bulbs on for heat. A small cellar is much easier to keep  
above freezing than a house basement.

> My basement
> freezes in a sustained cold spell, if I don't heat it. I've lost  
> squash
> stored there, and had valves (but never the pipes, which are  
> insulated)
> freeze. I have no idea what that hole in the photo is the remains of,

Looks to me like the remains of a well house built of concrete blocks.  
All the straw bales were likely piled on top for insulation.

> but I don't think most people have a well house here. Bringing water  
> anywhere near the surface is a recipe for disaster.
>
> What I've seen (and have) are wellheads..about 18" of casing with a  
> cap on
> it sticking out of the ground. The pump is 100-200+ feet down in the  
> water,
> and pumps the water to the house through an underground pipe that  
> comes into
> the basement about 6' below grade. There is (presumably) some way to  
> pull
> the pump to the surface for maintenance...I've never had to do it
>
> Lynn Wigglesworth
> Tioga Co. PA
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gene GeRue" <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
> To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 8:33 AM
> Subject: Re: [Homestead] Gas explosions
>
>
> > As you know, water freezes in your neighborhood in wintertime. A well
> > house is typically built like a cellar with four poured or block laid
> > walls and a solid roof with access. The well casing comes up into the
> > bottom of the cellar. All water connections are made down there and
> > the water pipe goes into the house via an underground ditch. Thus, no
> > freezing of water lines.
> >
> > This explosion is the sort of thing that causes building codes to be
> > changed. The pressure switches may one day be required to be outside
> > of the well house.
> >
> > For your amusement I will tell you that as I awoke this morning I  
> > felt
> > like smacking my head. I had read the words "well exploded" but I had
> > seen the photo of the remains of the well house. Duh.
> >
> > On Jan 15, 2009, at 6:25 AM, Lynn Wigglesworth wrote:
> >
> > > > Quite right. I was sidetracked by the misleading reporting that the
> > > > well exploded and was envisioning a broken wire at the pump but  
> > > > that
> > > > is problemmatical because it is under water. It was not the well,  
> > > > it
> > > > was the well house (pit) that exploded, thus using up all the gas
> > > > from
> > > > the traveling bubble. No gas was found in the water because it was
> > > > all
> > > > burned. For now.
> > >
> > > Well house (pit)? What's that?
> > >
> > > Lynn Wigglesworth
> > > Tioga Co. PA
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> > Gene GeRue
> > www.RURALIZE.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
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Gene GeRue
www.RURALIZE.com