How to: Frozen Pipes & How to Prevent it from Happening. Well Pump Troubleshooting in Freezing Temps
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ธ.ค. 2022
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In this video I Explain how to Thaw out frozen pipes.
There's dozens of Helpful Plumbing Videos on my Well Pump Q&A Playlist, So go check it out!
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We live in the mountains of Mongolia which has frozen ground 5 months a year and can get to -40C/F in January. So we have to protect our well-house, well pump, pump to house and all pipes.
The method is a space heater in the well house, then electrical heat tape wrapped around the pipe itself, then 2 layers of insulation around the pipe which is buried about 6 feet under the ground.
We still had our pump rupture because our heater failed one night. Now we have 2 electrical space heaters - one mechanical and one "smart" with wifi. The wifi heater is a backup but I can monitor the temperature remotely. If we know we won't have power in advance, we have a propane space heater as a backup.
Kudos to the homeowner for insisting on changing the filter….and outstanding customer service for listening to the homeowner when you had seemed to have already made up your mind as to what the issue was.
Very true, quite a surprise that that was the fix! Awesome, indeed!
I have a seasonal cabin in Northern Minnesota. Last year after a very cold winter and spring the water line from the well to the tank was still frozen in May. The solution was to hook a length of 1/2" poly tubing to a utility pump. We used a metal bucket rigged so water in the water pipe would run into the bucket. We heated water in the bucket with a torch and used the utility pump to send the warmed water through the poly tubing and into the water line. We kept feeding the tubing in as the warm water melted the ice. We could thaw 2-3 feet a minute with that setup
Good rig up. Works well.
Yep! Jetted my frozen line from my well using the same method about a decade ago. 👍🏻
i am not on a well. i stumbled across his videos and was really impressed with the way he goes into deal. he just picked up a new subscriber.
Use mirrors to reflect the sun into the area that is not getting sun. Some heat may get into the ground in that area.
All you need to do is wrap the skinny little pressure pipe so it won’t freeze. Also in the well head I insulated the box covering the well head. I’ve had no problems since I did that. I bought a big blue sheet of insulation from Lowes. I’m in Northwest Arkansas. It got 18 below last week. Great content by the way and thanks for sharing your knowledge. You seem like a great person that cares.
Upstate NY here. Our traditional frost level is 3 feet but can freeze uder extreme conditions. We bury to 4 feet if we can. The welder trick only works with copper or metallic pipe. Pipes are usually black plastic here. Piling straw or hey on the pipe path can let the earth warm the pipes just enough to thaw. The lightbulb in the pump enclosure works great for those small areas however make sure it's an incandescent bulb so they produce enough heat.
Some places in extreme cold we leave the water run in the house at a very small trickle. That works unless someone accidently turns off the faucet. Circulating air around a crawlspace with a shopvac can usually thaw pipes in an hour or so.
It's brutal here sometimes. The only good thing about it is it keeps the bugs small here. The further south you go the bigger the bugs, lol
What we have done is use construction heat blankets it take a few days cover them n will work n save from having to dig after come spring add more dirt to over
You do a good job of covering what your doing and why. Thanks for explaining it so well. By the way Merry Christmas!
We have a well drilling business in northern central PA. It was -10 with 40-50 mph winds. Phone was crazy today with frozen lines, we also have drop pipe down wells freeze. Cold air will actually get sucked down well and freeze lines.
Great video and great explanation.
Great videos as always my sons having a well drilled middle of January in Tennessee I’ll be there to see the process because of your videos I have a better understanding 👍
In Upstate NY with a double wide. Were on a concrete pad with block skirting. Stays kinda warm. We had to have the water main replaced and now it runs 15 feet along the slab. Ended up wrapping the water line with heat cord and wrapping it with insulation.
The main is buried 5 feet down so we're good there.
Up around Seneca lake many wells hit salt water and the shale is close to the surface so many year around homes take water from the lake with a submersible pump, and run it through a water purification system. The pipes are close to or on the surface. There is a heat cable that can be installed inside the pipes that works great.
Zebra mussels are a problem so pumps are generally put inside a PVC pipe with slots cut into it and a fine mesh sock over the top with small enough mesh that they cant get in. Believe it or not they can live in pressurized systems and clog everything up in a short time. The socks last a long time and it works better that you would think.
Old man, living in townhouse now, but when I was on the farm, I would back feed from the pump house to an outside faucet. And leave water on a number two pencil lead stream. And that will keep providing you water, even in the mid to low teens.
Thank you for making this video!
I have heard of using an arc welder on metal underground pipes up here in Northern Wisconsin. Use the welder setting with the circle around it and hook the electrodes up, one to each end of the pipe. I.E., one in the well pit and one where it enters the house. New welders can't take the strain and it will kill the welder.
as long is its all galvanized, you could definitely use an arc welder on that.
You need a welder with a 100% duty cycle. So 100% means it's always generating electricity. Some of these smaller welders would be only a 20% duty cycle so if you run up more than 20 seconds the welder will kick out so you don't have any power. You have to wait until it cools down and then try it again but it's not good for the welder.
Seen several houses burned down using a welder to unthaw metal pipes.
Wow…. Great video again!!!
Electric pipe thaw unit or a jetter unit is a popular tool here in the frozen northland
Merry Christmas to you and your family. Just wanted to say Thank-you for all the great content you've created. My family has benefited greatly from your channel the past six months as we have encountered several issues with our well since moving to the country. Thankfully this isn't one. Keep up the good work!
Your the best instructor on TH-cam Sir
Thank you sir, very helpful.
Good content and enjoy uyour videos
Thanks!
I am in Oklahoma. The cold temperature and strong winds from the storm managed to find its way to the pressure switch and freeze it. Unfortunately I did not have the cold weather gear to even attempt to go outside and get it thawed without risking frost bite. So today I got to spend the day fixing a couple of busted water lines because I could not keep my water trickling. Also the pressure switch seems to have gotten stuck, so I have to look at that tomorrow and probably have to replace it. Right now I just run the pump long enough to charge up the pressure tank and turn it back off.
One thing that came in handy yesterday when temperatures were still in the teens (but not as windy) was to use a torpedo heater to heat up the pressure switch and surrounding pipes so I could start assessing the damage.
Check the nipple the switch is on they can crust up with rust to cause the same issue.
@@tommussington8330 Actually I dealt with that problem earlier in the year.
For the current problem, it resolved itself when the termperatures got above freezing today. So I guess I did not completely thaw switch or the connecting nipple yesterday.
We dropped to 7 degrees also here in Northeast Alabama. We're not used to this kind of cold. Great advice on protecting you pipes. Another great video.
It's 52 here in Oakland CA
Great video very good explanation I have city water but have a shallow well irrigation pump I use a light bulb with a canvas tarp over it. I live in N Florida it will freeze from time to time here . Thank you for your time makings these videos !!!!!!
Usually need a sediment pre filter before active carbon filter for well water
I hang an old mechanics trouble light with a 100w bulb on the tank tee and leave the light on in the pump shed. Works good to about 15f. Less than than I use a space heater
I've done that on pitless adapter style well heads where the customer doesn't use a well cover thinking it's fine. Cold air gets sucked into the well & you drop the light 10ft down the hole & let it hang there for a bit.
Love your videos. God bless you for making them! We have an inline tank on our well , and have had the cabin water lines and hot water tank drained (with the well breaker off) for a couple months to prevent freezing. When I restart the system, refill the lines and the in ground tank, should I do anything special, like turn the breaker on, then off, then on, then off like you mentioned in one of your videos for evacuating air inside the pump?
Sweet brother
Hi I've been checking out all of your videos awesome job! My filter cracked and I had it replaced however the pipe keeps popping out of the output side of the filter whenever I turn the breaker back on. Is it the pipe glue or is my water pressure too high I don't know what to do! Thanks
Question... do you have any videos on shallow well pump setups ? I briefly scanned the thumbnails and titles of your other videos and didn't find one. (maybe I missed it). If you don't have one maybe this would be a good video suggestion to describe possible malfunctions and perhaps maintenance tips and tricks. The type of setups I'm talking about is where the pump and electric motor sit outside the well pipe, and are two-pipe setups going down into the well. I understand these are called "shallow" well pumps, however mine is about 150-foot deep. There is a mechanism at the end of the pipes that connects the two pipes together. My understanding is one pipe is the pressure pipe and the other one is where the water if forced back up the smaller tube to the discharge port of the pump. I'm told the theory is, pumps are far better at pushing water than sucking water. Thanks !
21k! Getting there!
Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ❤️
Hopefully 100k by next Christmas
I love your content and experience but I have to disagree with the wire situation at the pressure switch. I acquired a new customer and well sale recently because his previous well company put the wire in the switch next to the screw and because it is wasn't wrapped around the vibration spit the wire out on Christmas day with a house full of people and the customer flipped his lid. Every since that day I do the same thing electricians do and put a curl on it.
I'm absolutely not trying to leave a negative comment just explaining my own experiences. I love this channel. If you ever come near Michigan hit me up and stop by my shop
You can also use a thermostatically controlled receptacle so the heater or light only come on at 30* and powers off at 50* only problem is make sure the heater turns on to previous setting after power loss otherwise it will never turn on if it resets when powered up. Light bulb will always turn on after power failure. Keep up the good work.
Yup! The yellow thermo-block . We stock those things for special jobs. They work great!
you can unfreeze that line with a pressure cooker and steam line no problems!
One of our rentals froze off on that same very cold night last year.
The freezing pipe in earth problem if its metal pipes that are frozen a small 120 v low power welder connected at both ends will always thaw them out. Happens usually every 5 or 6 years when temps stay around 0 degrees f for long periods in Canada. (pipes are 4 feet underground)
Feed a Steam Pressure Washer Cleaner 's pressured hose in to the pipe and push it until the ice block is removed.
In Arizona we have the opposite problem, the water boils in the pipes and comes out steaming hot, they dont call it The Valley Of The Surface Of The Sun for nothin.
If it's a new system. Would you recommend as I've herd about an Electric Wire you can wrap around your water line BEFORE you bury it. To later on warm it during winter to prevent freezing. Maybe even wrap the Well head and other above ground pipes also ? What do you think ? I have learned so much watching your videos. Thanks
I have seen that pipe tape for crawlspace lines - it would be awesome if one were rated for underground. I would try and use some type of thermostat; look at how many kw it takes to run and you will see it's quite expensive in electricity. The therm would enable you to minimize that cost.
I tie two 60 watt bulbs together and leave them on through the winter,and check them periodically . Most of the time you will catch it before both bulbs go out.
Ditto.
Good idea with the 2 bulbs - I never thought of that!!
I do the same thing.
I use the heavier duty contractor grade bulbs with the thicker filaments, they last much longer than the normal bulbs.
They get me through winter here in northern Michigan without burning out.
@@frankdemeter5369 Thanks for the idea.
H2o Mechanic We are in a small heated cabin in -10 weather and I have the faucet dripping to keep the water flowing. We have an INWELL TANK, and while the faucet is dribbling, I hear the relay in the cabin click after 14 sec., then again after 2.5 minutes, then after 14 sec., then 2.5 min. repeat all night. When I stop the dribbling, the 40-60 gauge needle stays put. Or else, as it dribbles, it goes from 60 down to 40 and back up to 60. Am I damaging the pump? Thank You
My gauge/pressure switch piping area froze. I used a ceramic space heater and in 45 minutes had running water.
Pipes froze today in my pressure relief valve on my hot water tank blew open well I live in a mobile home so getting to the top water tank is a chore now my tank is leaking below my house out of the pressure relief pipe. Do you think I need a new tank or just replace the valve thank you for any input.
Don't use block carbon filters, use granular and they won't choke off. Using turbidity filters prior to the carbon will also extend the life of the carbon.
Take a insulated blanket and lay over the pipe area and blow a redi heater down under and a couple hours will thaw that out
Have you ever tried RV antifreeze? It is food safe and you could pump it into the line!
YOU FIRST!
What state are you in?
Where are you located at
Use a cozy coop chicken coop heater in your well house. It only uses 200 watts and its extremely safe and it does not use alot of power. It can also be mounted to wall or it has a stand so yo can move it where you need it. $50.00 at Tractor Supply
I used one of these in my Dog house kept my dig warm all winter.
Can you even buy a light bulb that puts off heat?
I've got a pump house next to house, there's a 5" space, it freezes, even with poly VA box over pipe I put in there pumped with Gap and crack filler. .. (-19F). I have to blow drier it if I don't use a low watt heater all day via hole cut in kitchen drywall. The Frost Kind heat cable, the sensor is 1' from the plug in. I need the sensor in the space, Not in the pump house, other wise it won't turn on! haha My problem. ANy tips? ha Enjoy your shows. Brian It freezes in the space. It's frustrating!
Try a Watts hot water recirculation system. It has a temperature sensing valve that is installed under a sink or behind a tub faucet. That valve mixes the hot water into the cold water piping when the temperature of the hot water gets too low. So this keeps water moving, plus it warms up the cold pipes at the same time.
@@stevebabiak6997 hmm.. no no no this is a different issue. This is where cold for both hot and cold comes into house from pump house. Really appreciate it though.
@@ClickinChicken - oh, then you need to add some warmth to the pipes or the areas they pass through. Which isn’t as easy as when it’s pipes that pass through an unheated area of a building.
Hi there. Just wondering, are you a licensed plumber in your state? Or does working on these types of systems not require a plumbing license?
Im a Licensed Well Driller and Certified pump installer.
Our company holds Class A contractors, Plumbing, Electrical, Hvac licensing through my father.
I've been doing this for 17+ years.
My father 45+ years
How do we hire you to troubleshoot our failed system?
pipe insulation and roxul rock wool in your home, Insulation is your friend . I was with out power for 10 days during epic ice storm here . One of the people trying to get power back on was electricuted because some one was running a genarator with out cutting back power to the grid sad what happened to him right on Hwy 58 by my house . i have no generator i just had my fireplace and opened all the cabinet doors that had water lines . I also had my house overbuilt 2x6 studs rockwool and 6 feet of insulation in the attick . loors are insulate by I followed my plumbing specks and insultated them with pipe insuation .I come from NJ and it could get lots colder there than here in VA freezing in Nj is 20 below zero with winds snow and ice but still not as bad as Michigan . I remember 2 blizzards one was almost up to the second story of my house because of wind . So far a mild winter here but at least H20 is a help
Unthaw….I know what you mean cuz I’m from the Midwest…but that would, technically, mean to freeze the pipes…because thaw is the process of unfreezing
😆 I was wondering who would catch that . That's how you know it's not scripted, we all do it more than we know. We're just not on camera to know it lol
@@h2omechanic dude, your videos saved us who knows how much in labor costs. Replaced pump on 80’ of drop pipe (pulled up by hand), pressure tank, and switch not long ago, and being able to shower with water pressure again is invaluable…lol. Thanks for all the great advice!
G
Cover the pipeline area outside with straw bales about 4 feet wide and the soil warmth will come up to thaw it out in a few days. You should always use pit less adaptors at the well head and bury the supply lines 3 or 4 feet deep to avoid these problems. I was shocked to see your pump installations last week with open pipes exposed to the weather.
Good thing it turned out to be the filter. People living in the south ( remember Texas a few years back) need to build water systems to avoid surprise weather like this. Another commenter suggested a pressure cooker (think he meant pressure washer, Hot) can be used, open line and push washer hose into line and keep advancing the washer hose till ice is gone. Hot water can also be applied to exposed pipes like you left at your jobs last week. Sometimes it is helpful to wrap pipes with rags or towels to keep the heat of the water against the pipes longer. The way the weather is going crazy, perhaps we need to re assess our installations. Money spent on adequate protection may avoid the expenses of freeze ups and frozen pipe damages. I really enjoyed your fracking video and your pump replacement videos last week. We had to drill a new well this year due to the water table dropping. Drillers here refuse to go down an old hole and our basalt layers are such they like to case well into bedrock with steel. 8" to 35', 6" to 220', unlined to 260. Water table at 145, pump at 185. Best Wishes for your continued success and prosperity from S.E. Idaho.
Our regulations require a water sample port at the top of the well. We can't use pitless in certain counties. We work about 12 different counties and 2 states, there's actually 4 different ways of doing the well head setup depending on where we are working
I actually thought about creating a fire on top of the ground along the top of the pipe - but that wood (ha ha) be a long fire. If I were desperate I might try it. Your bale idea is very good - perhaps even put bales on top before the freeze. Just like when you put a pitchfork into a pile of mulch, it's toasty warm below.
Good Answer!
I have a question. On my manifold, the skinny pipe the pressure switch is on, it also has the pressure gauge on the same skinny pipe. Every time I have the well company out I ask him about it. He just says I didn’t install it that way. He never says if is right or wrong. Every other manifold I’ve seen the pressure gauge is on the manifold pipe and only the pressure switch is on the skinny pipe. Can you tell me your thoughts on that and should I install a new manifold. Everything works and I have great water and ok pressure. Also my pressure relief valve comes off the well head. Thanks.
Both are perfectly fine as is. In the future the system will get updated & changed accordingly. It's was just how the original plumber did his setup.
@@h2omechanic Ok thank you. You made me feel better. I was a little worried.
They make GROUND THAWING MATS SYSTEMS.
does it hurt the pump to run continually because pipe is froze ? north ga.
Yes, always cut off the breaker. It can burst the drop pipe
where is your location.
I stuff the space with straw. I have to do better to seal the open space exceptionally (north side). I feel like a jerk running a low watt heater through cut out drywall in kitchen on inside where pipe comes in. And the electric bill. GA rump.
Can Heat TAPE be used on this situation?
Not underground
I'll tell you the drop dead best way I keep my pipes from freezing...I live where it never gets below 65° 🤣
Hello, has anyone heard of EndoPure 1'' 200psi pipe? Is it any good?
-40 for a week here. Always a battle
Move somewhere warm!
Unthaw?
run a little water at night
I'm still walking around in t shirt and shorts.
Unthaw pipes??? Think about that. Wouldn't you be freezing the pipes??
You say unthaw pipes? That means you are freezing them
Old boy's drunk.