Winterizing Your Well
More than a trickle
When freezing temperatures are approaching a common practice is to leave a faucet trickling. This is true for urban areas but for well systems a much higher flow is needed. If the booster pump is exposed to the elements you will need to be pushing 5-7 gallons per minute (gpm) through the system. A common practice to save water is to run a garden hose back to the storage tank to save water. If the booster pump is inside an enclosure, the flow rate can be reduced to 2-3 gpm. For systems not using a booster pump and storage system where the water comes directly inside the house the flow rate should be approximately 1 gpm utilizing several sinks, especially those along the outside walls.
Outside Pipes
Your outside pipes should be buried at a minimum of 12 inches which should be sufficient. Any pipes exposed will need to be wrapped in pipe insulation and sealed using 2” pipe wrap electrical tape. Duct tape is not recommended as it is not waterproof nor UV resistant, within a year it would need replacing. When wrapping around bends we recommend cutting a triangle out of one side of the insultation, this will prevent bunching up on the inside of the bend.
Do not forget to insulate the metal fittings, such as the relief valve, ball valve, hose bibb, check valve and any pressure gauges. If insulating a fitting that you will need access to regularly, make a glove out of the pipe insulation that will be able to slip snugly over when not in use.
Outside Booster Pumps
In addition to running a lot of water through the system as stated earlier, we recommend some type of protection if possible. Insulating the pumps, while not covering the motor and causing it to not overheat, is difficult. Our recommendation is to have a pump house built enclosing the pump as soon as possible. We offer Polar Sheds in all sized for just this situation.
Pump House
For the best protection we recommend your well system is in a pump house with these features:
Good insulation
A reliable heat source; just do not melt the pipes. A space heater is more favorable compared to a heat lamp because you never know when the bulb will go out. Our practice is to hang the heater from the ceiling; therefore, reducing the amount of dust that would collect on it reducing the chances of fire.
Installing a thermostat control for the heater enables you to travel if you do not want the hassle of having to go out and turn it on and off. We sell a thermostat that cycles on and off around 35 degrees unlike a residential heater that turns on at 60 degrees; therefore, it only comes on at lower temperatures.
If Traveling
If you are utilizing the methods we suggested most likely you will be fine. But it does not hurt to be overly cautious. We also recommend turning off the breaker to the pump(s) and drain the water from the pressure tank and booster pump.
Following our suggestions, we hope you will prevent any freeze damage this winter to your system. If it does occur, we will be available assist you.