AZ ranch

[mjncad]

We purchased a 2500 gallon water tank and buried about 2 feet of it in the ground to prevent freezing.

We did a similar thing up the road from you... Just to be sure, you might want to insulate your outlet pipe. It is likely to be more exposed, if you have a shut-off valve there...
No freezing so far, after 5 years.

OK, I'm puzzled...are you just freeze protecting the outlet pipe with the shallow burial? Is there enough water mass in the tank to prevent the contents from becoming an iceberg?

 

[BoFuller]

I'd say it is primarily to protect the valve and the pipe, as it is two feet deep all the way to the trailer. The tank itself must have enough mass that it doesn't freeze. At least that's what all the locals tell me and some of them have been around here for 20 yrs and more. But by having it 2 feet deep, then the heat from the ground also helps to keep the tank itself from freezing. I would imagine that if you put one up on some type of stand (for gravity feed), then it might freeze, as it would have no ground heat and would be exposed to cold and wind on every side, top, and bottom. I guess that's why I never see any elevated around here. :laughing:

 

[rdpecken]

OK, I'm puzzled...are you just freeze protecting the outlet pipe with the shallow burial? Is there enough water mass in the tank to prevent the contents from becoming an iceberg?

Yes. We've never had the water level go below maybe 300 - 400 gallons on our 2500 gal tank. In our area, while the temperatures in winter regularly get down to the high teens, the daytime highs for those days usually reaches into the 40's. We occasionally get temperatures down around zero, but it doesn't stay that way for a long enough time to freeze a sizable amount of water solid.

However, exposed pipes certainly do have a problem in our area. And the most common failure I've seen is the outlet pipe from the above-ground tanks. Partial burying is a common answer for that, but if you have a valve on the outlet, it may be exposed. That's where I think it's good to add the insulation.

 

[mjncad]

Thanks for the explanation gents.

 

[BoFuller]

I just got my report from the soils engineer. I need to remove 2-3 feet of clay topsoil from the 50 X 50 building area and replace with a different soil/gravel combination. Not what I wanted to hear.

 

[mjncad]

Could be much worse Bo as you might have been told you need to remove double that amount, or drill caissons, or any number of things.

If your clay is anything like our Bentonite, you'll be glad to get that crap out from under your future home.

 

[firefighter9208]

I didn't know there was a difference. If it dumps, isn't it a dump truck????

Actually, it's not. When I bought my 77 GMC flatbed "dump truck" I called the insurance agent to get insurance. It has a flat bed with sides and a dump cylinder. When he came to look at it he said, "oh, it's not a dump truck, it's a flatbed with a dump cylinder." I said, "what's the difference?" and he told me the insurance would be about 4 times cheaper on a flat bed.

That made me very happy to own a flatbed with dump cylinder and not a "dump truck". :thumbsup:

Chris

 

[BoFuller]

Hi Bo.
It seems we are neighbors x2 !
We also have 40 acres in Sierra Verde, and live in Mesa most of the time.
Our land is about 5 miles north of I40 in the Markham Pass area.
Yes, we have seen rattlesnakes, packrats, javalina, elk, deer, and antelope.
I look forward to following your thread. I haven't started one here because I don't have a tractor yet! (Bummer...)
Anyway, you can see what we've been up to at our blog at ArizonaRanch.org - Building a Homestead Ranch in Northern Arizona
Here is the cabin we've been building for the last 3 years or so...
Good luck, and have fun!

So I have been through Markham Pass a dozen times in the last 3 or 4 months hauling gravel. What are you close to?

 

[BoFuller]

I went up to the Ranch on Nov3rd and Friday the 4th was a gorgeous sunny day, so I went for a load of chat. I got it spread and packed down just in time, as the late afternoon brought a little hail and rain.

 

[BoFuller]

I guess I got the chat spread and packed just in time, as the next morning I awoke to this. It's getting down into the twenties at night now. Brrrrr.