Thinking ahead.... keeping a Pressure Well Tank from freezing

[Rebeldad1]

Our Pressure Well Tank is inside a storage shed.
What is your best way to keep yours from freezing? For the last couple years we have been using a small radiant heater in front of the tank pluged into a temperature controlled plug. Freezebuster FB3/TC3 Thermocube. Activates when surrounding temperature drops to 35ｰ. Turns off at 45ｰ to save energy.

Is there such a thing as a tank blanket of a wrap around tape that is temp controlled for these?

 

[Jstpssng]

Build a small well insulated enclosure around it and continue to use the method you have or use a light bulb.

 

[TnAndy]

Build a small well insulated enclosure around it and continue to use the method you have or use a light bulb.

Yep....that right there unless your temps dip into single digits or below, regularly, you'd be fine.

 

[CobyRupert]

There are tank wraps, pads. There’s also electrical tape (self-regulating). They can be in the 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 watt/foot range, and amount of wraps will control max. energy input, they then back off their max. rating as they warm up. Scott’s makes a temperature rated tape to hold heat tape in place. You would cover the heat tape and pipes with insulation.
Usually more efficient than trying to keep a warm room and using air to transfer heat. But you probably do want a insulated warm room to keep first few feet of well pipe to frost line insulated too
Remember that top of bladder tank is air.

 

[fried1765]

Our Pressure Well Tank is inside a storage shed.
What is your best way to keep yours from freezing? For the last couple years we have been using a small radiant heater in front of the tank pluged into a temperature controlled plug. Freezebuster FB3/TC3 Thermocube. Activates when surrounding temperature drops to 35ｰ. Turns off at 45ｰ to save energy.

Is there such a thing as a tank blanket of a wrap around tape that is temp controlled for these?

Unless you are on top of Mt. Hood you should not need any sort of dedicated heater, other than a light bulb or two.

 

[dmccarty]

When we built our house, I built a temporary well box around the pressure tank. I had a bunch of ideas on what to do with the well house, but never really liked my different plans, so that temporary well box got to be 10-15 years old.

The 10-15 year old temporary well house was simply a 2x4 box about 3'x3'x3' and insulated with fiberglass batts. I would keep a few light bulbs running in the well house and it never froze. During those years we got down in the two teens a few times but mostly the usual low temperatures down into the 20's.

Eventually, I tore down the temporary well house and replaced with with an insulated box made from 2 inch thick rigid insulation lag bolted together. A "roof" of 4 inches of the rigid insulation is the top of the box and allows access to the pressure tank. The box just sits around the well and pressure tank and can be moved easy peasy if needed. Over the insulated box I put one of those big fake rocks which adds more protection from wind and rain and protects the rigid insulation. This has worked down into the single digits without any problems.

I now have a thermostat controlled heater tape wrapped around the pressure tank and pipes along with the 4-6 low wattage CFLs. I put an instant read thermometer through the box top so I can easily check on the temperature inside the box. I have never seen the temperature go below 40 and usually it is in the 50's during the coldest of winter. The heater tape is supposed to come on at 35 degrees or some such but I don't think it has ever gotten that cold in the box.

Why multiple light bulbs? They are low wattage so it takes a couple to heat up the space AND I want some back up lights/heat in case one or two burns out over the winter. I check the well house from time to time, so I should notice if the bulbs have burned out, but the low wattage does not add up to too much money in the power bill and it is cheap insurance to prevent the tank and plumbing from freezing.

Later,
Dan

 

[RNeumann]

Thermal controlled heat tape against the tank and then wrapped could work.

How cold are avg winter day and night temps

 

[turnkey4099]

Our Pressure Well Tank is inside a storage shed.
What is your best way to keep yours from freezing? For the last couple years we have been using a small radiant heater in front of the tank pluged into a temperature controlled plug. Freezebuster FB3/TC3 Thermocube. Activates when surrounding temperature drops to 35ｰ. Turns off at 45ｰ to save energy.

Is there such a thing as a tank blanket of a wrap around tape that is temp controlled for these?

Best solution? Move it into the house and forget about it. Why people think a tank has to be at the well is beyond me. Of course if you hve no basement then it will take up space on the 'living' floor. Not much though and it is worth having it where all the maintenance thingies are convenient.

 

[TnAndy]

Best solution? Move it into the house and forget about it. Why people think a tank has to be at the well is beyond me. Of course if you hve no basement then it will take up space on the 'living' floor. Not much though and it is worth having it where all the maintenance thingies are convenient.

Yep....if you have a basement, that's where it needs to be.

Water room in my basement. Well tank located there, plus the spring water line (2 separate systems) with booster pump and UV light.

 

[duffer]

For total peace of mind, move it to the basement or crawl space if you have one. My set up in the basement is far smaller than TnAndy's. Here's my whole set up.


If you can't move it, and it's not too big, Take some R-19 insulation batting and wrap it loosely around your tank and pipes, like a pup tent. Lay a job light on the floor, and you'd be good. Your shed is going to keep out a lot of the frost, and some of the cold as well.