running water lines

[rambler]

Black water pipe in the rolls.

I know what you are dealing with, get 4 foot deep frosts here in MN. But bedrock is about 400 feet deep so don't have your rock problem!

If snow is on the ground you will be ok. It's the years that it gets bitter cold with no snow.

I've heard good things of the insulation board - good burial rated stuff - working as some mention, put 16 to 2 feet width over the pipe. Helps a lot.

For a waterer, the best thing I ever installed here on the farm in 30 years was a Cobett waterer. No electricity needed. Worst that happens is a skin of ice forms at 10 below with a strong wind; and you need to check the water once a day anyhow, so no big deal.

If a heater 'only' uses $15 a month in electricity, that's $60 a year, or $600 in 10 years.

My waterer is 8 years old, works great yet, and I'm close to saving what it cost me in electricity....

But - you need to be able to dig down where you put the waterer, if you hit rock at 3 feet in that location, then this would not be the waterer for you.

Cobett Livestock Waterers, Cattle Waterers, Bison Waterers, Horse Waterers and Sheep Waterers

--->Paul

 

[jenkinsph]

I would also vote for the large trencher with atleast a 4 or 5' depth then use black PE pipe on a roll. The cost of the trencher for a day would be lower than all the associated repairs, heat tape and irritations you will have with a shallow laid pipe. Long runs in piping that are laid shallow have the extra problem of expansion and contraction too. In the long run the deeply laid pipe will be the cheapest solution.

If you insist on running the pipe shallow I would suggest you consider a loop system with a circulator pump and electric water heater.