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

[dmccarty]

A CFL saves energy buy NOT GIVING OFF HEAT!

Well DUH!

But CFLS last ALOT longer than incandescent bubs. The two CFLs have worked for 6 years. We would have gone through dozens and dozens of incandescent bulbs during that time frame and we would have frozen the water supply multiple times. Instead of once.

The question is how many watts of heat do you need to keep from freezing. In my case I now know it is more than 11 or 13 watts. With four CFLs the chances of me loosing three at one time to get down to 11 or 13 watts is pretty slim to none.

DUH!

Later,
Dan

 

[Egon]

Pitless adapters set below the frost line seem to work well for many folks!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[dmccarty]

Our well house is well insulated with R15 or R19 walls and no air leakage. The CFLs have worked down to 8-9 degree nights without a problem. With both bulbs working. With both CFLs working, the lowest temperature in the well house was around 40 degrees and that is when I checked because the temp was going down to 8-9 degrees.

When I opened up the well house on Monday to add more lights the temp was between 50-60.

I thought about heat tape on the plug in thermostat. Glad to hear they work. I saw one thermostat for $11 and it seems like good idea.

My concern with using a thermostat was I would find that it failed when we froze up the water supply. :laughing: With the light bulbs I know when my "heater" no longer works.

And now I have more work lights if I need then for another chore.

I looked at sensors to warn of freezing temps in the well house but that was looking to be expensive and way too complicated. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[MossRoad]

Well DUH!

But CFLS last ALOT longer than incandescent bubs. The two CFLs have worked for 6 years. We would have gone through dozens and dozens of incandescent bulbs during that time frame and we would have frozen the water supply multiple times. Instead of once.

The question is how many watts of heat do you need to keep from freezing. In my case I now know it is more than 11 or 13 watts. With four CFLs the chances of me loosing three at one time to get down to 11 or 13 watts is pretty slim to none.

DUH!

Later,
Dan

My point is using a CFL bulb as a heater in a shed is point-less. You can grab them with your hands. They aren't warm enough to do beans.

My suggestion would be to get one of these portable greenhouse thermostats and then connect either a small heater or a couple incandescent bulbs to it. You can wire them for heating OR cooling. I use one in my basement where my wood stove is located. I have it connected to a fan in the vent between the basement and 1st floor. I have it set to cool the basement. So, if the basement gets over 78 degrees, the fan turns on and blows the warm air up to the first floor. Once the fire goes out and a few hours later, the room drops below 78, the fan stops and no cool air is blown upstairs. It has worked flawlessly for three years now. I think the temperature range is adjustable from 30 degrees to 110 degrees. So, you plug it in, plug in your two drop cords with 60 watt bulbs into it and set it for 40 degrees. Any time the temp in the room drops below 40, the bulbs come on. It warms up, the bulbs go out. Two bulbs for peace of mind.

Portable/PreWired Thermostat

By the way, up here in Indiana we put the pump in the bottom of the well, keep the water lines below the frost line and put the tank in the house. :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Here's a picture.

 

[dmccarty]

My point is using a CFL bulb as a heater in a shed is point-less. You can grab them with your hands. They aren't warm enough to do beans.

And my point is that your point is wrong. For you to say that my using CFLs is pointless is simply daft. This has worked for years with the same and much colder temperatures. CFLs DO generate heat just not as much as incandescent bulbs.

Later,
Dan

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Dan,

You could also wrap your pressure tank with insulation. Kinda like the insulation blankets they sell for hot water heaters. And wrap all exposed pipes. I don't have my pressure tank outside but I do have an insulated well house for the pipes above ground. I wrapped all pipes with insulation and have a 60 watt bulb in there but have not needed to use it the last two years. We had several days of 20-25* and several nights of 8-15* and no problem with water.

David

 

[cdaigle430]

And my point is that your point is wrong. For you to say that my using CFLs is pointless is simply daft. This has worked for years with the same and much colder temperatures. CFLs DO generate heat just not as much as incandescent bulbs.

Later,
Dan

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

 

[dave1949]

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

Cruel and unusual :laughing:
Dave.

 

[Car Doc]

And my point is that your point is wrong. For you to say that my using CFLs is pointless is simply daft. This has worked for years with the same and much colder temperatures. CFLs DO generate heat just not as much as incandescent bulbs.

Later,
Dan

Respectfully Dan I have to side with Moss Road about the incandescent bulbs putting out more heat than compact fluorescent.

I have an outside well house also and have had freezing problems for 24 years up until this year I built a nice insulated walk in house over it.

I wouldn't waste my money on them (cfl) as a heat source a 50w plain old bulb will put out about twice as much heat as a 100w rated cfl. ymmv as always