Trickling water in winter

[TristanDickey]

Never had the honor of worrying about freezing pipes until recently. I've got a submersible pump on my well. its housed almost two feet underground and stuffed with insulation. the house connection has heat tape and insulation. Should i trickle my water to keep from freezing? i dont want to burn out my well pump leaving the water running all the time.

 

[old and tired]

Without your location filled in your profile... the best we can do is guess... If you are in Florida, You are go to go!

On the other hand, if you are near the Canada border... turn your pump off!!!

What temperature are you worried about? If it's above freezing, you *should* be fine... (you get the point...)

 

[/pine]

What part(s) of your system are most vulnerable?
Can you use a lamps* on exposed parts?...tenting a lamp with a towel works good for protecting outside valves etc...

[edit]

*Not using LED bulbs

 

[TristanDickey]

Without your location filled in your profile... the best we can do is guess... If you are in Florida, You are go to go!

On the other hand, if you are near the Canada border... turn your pump off!!!

What temperature are you worried about? If it's above freezing, you *should* be fine... (you get the point...)

in arkansas. supposed to be in the 20s tonight and maybe 30 all day tomorrow

 

[TristanDickey]

What part(s) of your system are most vulnerable?
Can you use a lamps* on exposed parts?...tenting a lamp with a towel works good for protecting outside valves etc...

[edit]

*Not using LED bulbs

its all encased 2 feet under the dirt surround by cinderblocks stuffed with insulation. its not necessarily 'exposed' we had -30 degrees a week before christmas and yeah one piece of pvc cracked.

 

[Jstpssng]

If that's all it's going to be you should be good. Going forward, hay bales, styrofoam or anything to provide a little extra insulation is helpful to keep it from freezing.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

What part(s) of your system are most vulnerable?
Can you use a lamps* on exposed parts?...tenting a lamp with a towel works good for protecting outside valves etc...

[edit]

*Not using LED bulbs

Pretty funny, Just did a repair because of LED lamps not putting off any heat.

 

[Torvy]

its all encased 2 feet under the dirt surround by cinderblocks stuffed with insulation. its not necessarily 'exposed' we had -30 degrees a week before christmas and yeah one piece of pvc cracked.

Not sure what you mean. The all-time record low in Arkansas is -29 and that was in 1905. If that was a wind chill, ignore it for things like pipes.

Source:Wind Chill Questions

Can wind chill impact my car's radiator or exposed water pipe?​

The only effect wind chill has on inanimate objects, such as car radiators and water pipes, is to shorten the amount of time for the object to cool. The inanimate object will not cool below the actual air temperature. For example, if the temperature outside is -5°F and the wind chill temperature is -31°F, then your car's radiator will not drop lower than -5°F.

 

[TristanDickey]

Not sure what you mean. The all-time record low in Arkansas is -29 and that was in 1905. If that was a wind chill, ignore it for things like pipes.

Source:Wind Chill Questions

Can wind chill impact my car's radiator or exposed water pipe?​

The only effect wind chill has on inanimate objects, such as car radiators and water pipes, is to shorten the amount of time for the object to cool. The inanimate object will not cool below the actual air temperature. For example, if the temperature outside is -5°F and the wind chill temperature is -31°F, then your car's radiator will not drop lower than -5°F.

wind chill doesnt effect pipes freezing? we got a lot of wind today and tomorrow too. not sure if that hurts or not.

 

[ponytug]

wind chill doesnt effect pipes freezing? we got a lot of wind today and tomorrow too. not sure if that hurts or not.

No, wind chill just affects animals. As @Torvy posted, wind can cool a pipe faster, but wind can't cool it below the air temperature.

I would point out that wearing wind proof clothing negates the effect of wind chill on humans, except for exposed areas like eyes and perhaps cheeks.

Your pump should be goo; lots of good advice above.

All the best,

Peter