What do you do to keep your pressure tank/well head from freezing?

[SPYDERLK]

I got it now..

So if I tap the power.. And only need to cover 5 feet of 1 inch, that chart says we should use 1.3 feet of cable...
But could I tap a 60 watt bulb and a temp controlled switch in there?

Take a harder look at that chart. It gives watts needed per foot of pipe to hold the pipe a delta T above ambient inside various insulation thicknesses. Thing is, you only need to hold your pipe at 33 and your ambient probably doesnt get below 20. The charts minimum dT is 50. Youre not going to have to worry about that chart at all because, altho the general principle applies, the self regulating tape ups its output as it gets colder until it reaches its max of 6 watts per foot below 40F. The tape is its own thermostat, customizing its resistance at every point in its length according to the temperature of that point. Since the tape is in contact with the pipe it is much more effective than a light bulb. The 6' tape [#3580K22] will be ample. Do a slow spiral around the 5' pipe gauged to use the whole length. Wrap it around snug and tape the ends and about every foot to hold it tight. Then wrap the whole thing tightly with a couple or 3 layers of small bubble wrap for insulation [doesnt hold water]. Plug it into your 110V tap [on 1 leg of the pressure switch feed] and forget about it. You can leave it plugged all year. It will draw almost no current in the Summer, but if you think about it unplug it then.
larry

 

[patrick_g]

Task: keep pipes or tank from freezing in well house.
Solution: Thermostatic controlled heat tapes.

Why run a 1000 watts or more heater to heat the well house when it is just the pipe and tanks that need the heat?

Why use lightbulbs to heat the well house when heat tapes with built in thermostats are available?

The ones I use have a thermostat module as part of the heat tape. Install the tape with the T'stat module in contact with the tank or pipe to be kept thawed. The heat tape will then activate when the pipe or tank needs heat.

The only time I had a problem was when I unplugged a tape in the sumer to use the outlet for a power tool and forgot to plug it back in. So 6 months later a pipe froze.

I did have my water meter freeze killing all water to the house. This was with zero F overnight. Seems the installers didn't bury the big round plastic meter box as deep as they are supposed to do. I insulated the inside of the box and added dirt to the level of the lid on the outside. All is fine now.

Pat

 

[dmccarty]

Yeah, but, he's not the one without water.

And if I had put in regular light bulbs I would have been without water multiple times since the do not last long.

CFLs do put out heat. I do not know why this is so hard to comprehend. They just do not put out as much heat since they do not use as much power....

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

I understand the CFLS last longer but incandesants will last a long time to and cost like .99 cents for 4. You know you can walk over to it and check it every week or 2? Or you could put them on a timer to only come on at night, depends on where you live i guess if you need them all day.

Timers are more money. And I do not trust them since it is one more thing to fail. I want simple, reliable and cheap.

I do not trust incandescents since they burn out so quickly and since they are being phased out it is not a good long term choice anyway. Having to check the light bulbs every couple of weeks is what I am trying to avoid as well. I want something reliable. Calling our well house a well house is very grand of me. It is just an insulated box roughly 5'x5'x5' covered in tarps. Looks like scat. The "door" is just an insulated "plug" in the side of the box. Not hard to open but it is not just walking out and turning a knob either.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Dan,
Do you want heat or light?
What I'd do- buy two regular pigtailed light sockets from HD or Lowes. Buy two 200 watt bulbs. Wire the sockets in series. The bulbs will last virtually forever running on 1/2 voltage but will produce 100 watts total of heat.
If that isn't the correct amount of heat substitute bigger/smaller bulbs.
The important thing is to use 2 in series so they last many years.
Try to set them up so you can see the glow from the house, maybe a clear lucite/acrylic rod through the pump house as an "eye". Glance out there occassionally in the winter to confirm they are working and turn them off in warm weather.
Attached is a pic of the sockets and one of a bulb.

My setup has worked with just 25ish watts of power. It only failed with the one bulb went out loosing 11/13 watts. 25ish watts keeps the well house at least in the upper 30s. I think the upper 30s is the coolest I have seen it when both bulbs were working. The 30's temp was when the outside temp was town to 9 degrees. Most of the time the well house stays in the 50's with 25ish watts of CFL heat.

I thought of having some sort of eye. The problem with the eye is that it would poke a hole in the insulation and let in cold air which may have been ok. The bigger problem with the eye idea was someone would have to watch the eye. If we had a single bulb running and it went out at midnight I wold not know until we turned on the frozen water in the morning.

Which caused me to look at temperature sensors and alarms but that was just too complicated and expensive.

Thus the four work lights for redundancy. Cheap. Simple. And the light can be used for other things.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Why use lightbulbs to heat the well house when heat tapes with built in thermostats are available?

The ones I use have a thermostat module as part of the heat tape. Install the tape with the T'stat module in contact with the tank or pipe to be kept thawed. The heat tape will then activate when the pipe or tank needs heat.
...

I saw thermostat control plugin outlets for $11. My concern with them is how reliable is an $11 dollar device made in China going to be? How may year has yours lasted?

Does the heat tape also heat up the air? I have a pressure tank with 5-6 gallons of water that needs to stay in a liquid state.

On EDIT: Found a 30 foot long heat tape with a thermostat for $35, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006VALDE/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=hi&psc=1. I would think 30 feet would wrap the plumbing and the pressure tank which is metal. Not sure the heat tape would do much heating with a fiber tank. One of the comments on the link answered my other question which is how much power does the tape use. The comment said he was seeing 19/20 watts.

Later,
Dan

 

[patrick_g]

On EDIT: Found a 30 foot long heat tape with a thermostat for $35, Amazon.com: M-D Building Products 64444 30-Foot Pipe Heating Cable with Thermostat: Home Improvement. I would think 30 feet would wrap the plumbing and the pressure tank which is metal. Not sure the heat tape would do much heating with a fiber tank. One of the comments on the link answered my other question which is how much power does the tape use. The comment said he was seeing 19/20 watts.

Later,
Dan

For a non-metallic (or metallic) tank to protect it from freezing with heater tapes wrap the tape around the tank, secure with a good brand of adhesive tape (some of the HVAC foil tape is really good but duct tape doesn't last very well) and then put some insulation over the tank to keep the heat where it is needed (inside the insulation.) The more insulation you use the less heat is required. With a thermostat controlled heater tape with the t'stat in contact with the tank and the tank well insulated the tape will cycle on and off as required to maintain its set point (typically about 38F.) This will work where well house temperatures go as low as -50F or lower depending on your insulation and watts rating of the tape.

This is a very reliable solution compared to light bulbs that are notorious for random failure. CFL's are great energy saving lights but poor heaters producing only about 20% as much heat as a comparable filament bulb. The new LED light bulbs are even worse as heaters (but terrific as efficient light sources.) Heating the entire well house may work but is certainly not an efficient or cost effective approach unless you get your electricity for free or close to it.

Most electric heaters are in the 1000 to 1500 watt range and with electricity at 12 cents per kilowatt would cost you (assuming 50% duty cycle and 1250 watts) $1.50 per day to operate (not amortizing the heater.) IF your duty cycle is higher and or your heater is rated more than 1250 watts then you could be paying about $2.00 a day to run it (or more.)

Changing to heater tape and insulation where needed the savings in electricity charges will pay for the heater tape and insulation making it an investment with a return rather than an expense. This is a cheaper more reliable solution that will also lower you overall operating costs.

Pat