I've been using incandescent 40-watt light bulbs to keep my water pipes from freezing. I've been using 2 just in case one burns out. Now that incandescent light bulbs are illegal (thanks to the government). What do you use? I don't want to let one of my faucets dripping all night. I have an oil heater that I could use, less fire danger than some other heaters. I have found some incandescent for crazy prices, like $10.00 each. Any other ideas?
Thanks Ron.

I use “heat tapes” from Lowe’s , can get them from Amazon or lots of places. They work well and are available in several lengths.

https://www.lowes.com/pl/pipe-...765360-1121745956902

I also use one of these, so nothing is on all of the time.

https://www.amazon.com/Farm-In...-2281435180058&psc=1

quote:

Originally posted by K Evans:
I use “heat tapes” from Lowe’s , can get them from Amazon or lots of places. They work well and are available in several lengths.

https://www.lowes.com/pl/pipe-...765360-1121745956902

I've used "heat tape" before. I need to figure out how to wrap my pressure tank with that. Then maybe wrap the tank and heat tape with insulation.

I have gotten rid of my pump houses but prior I used an electric quartz heater with a thermo-cube. It wasn't reliable in super cold, windy days. Better off just leaving it plugged in w/o the thermostat.

I've since had the guts for both of my wells moved into my near basement sized crawl space and no longer have to worry about frozen water.

Insulate the pipes and pump house to a higher level. The oil heater is a good choice.

Thanks all.
Bobster I have put 1/2" foil backed styrofoam board insulation on the inside of the walls and roof.
Our weather is all over the place. We had a low yesterday of -3, but the weather forecast is we'll be in the 50s and 60s this weekend for highs.

If you have temps that low, then you need at least an inch of insulation if not 1-1/2 inches.

quote:

I have gotten rid of my pump houses but prior I used an electric quartz heater with a thermo-cube. It wasn't reliable in super cold, windy days. Better off just leaving it plugged in w/o the thermostat.

I've since had the guts for both of my wells moved into my near basement sized crawl space and no longer have to worry about frozen water.

In another life I drilled and installed water well systems.

We would do our best to install submersible pumps and place the pressure tank in side.

Filled in many a pit and eliminated the need for a pump house

If the water line had to go under a drive way or walk way we put foam board insulation above the line by a foot or so.

Pump house are old teck, much better systems out there today.

I also did away with pump houses years ago
Submersible pump and pressure tank inside
No more freeze issues..

quote:

In another life I drilled and installed water well systems.

We would do our best to install submersible pumps and place the pressure tank in side.

Filled in many a pit and eliminated the need for a pump house

Did you dig up the outside pressure tank or bypass it?

quote:

Originally posted by Jgrabow6493:

quote:

In another life I drilled and installed water well systems.

We would do our best to install submersible pumps and place the pressure tank in side.

Filled in many a pit and eliminated the need for a pump house

Did you dig up the outside pressure tank or bypass it?

Do you have a buried pressure tank.?

We buried a couple of tanks. It was kind of a last resort thing. They were epoxy coated. I highly recommend not burying a tank. Because if they went bad. One has to dig them up to replace them.

If the tank and pump was in a pit. we would remove them. Weld a piece of well casing onto the excessing one.

Put a pitiless adapter on drop a submersible pump down the well. hook into the house system. Put the pressure tank inside. Then fill in the pit.

A lot of the times the excessing well was not salvageable and we would drill a new one and replace the whole system with new.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobster:
If you have temps that low, then you need at least an inch of insulation if not 1-1/2 inches.

I forgot, when we bought this farm in 1994, I rebuilt the pump house and put R-19 in the walls between the 2x4's with the 1/2" foam board over the insulation.

I checked my chickens this morning and the waterer is frozen solid, it's always something LOL

quote:

Do you have a buried pressure tank.?

We buried a couple of tanks. It was kind of a last resort thing. They were epoxy coated. I highly recommend not burying a tank. Because if they went bad. One has to dig them up to replace them.

I have a 30+ year old buried tank that I think is bad. I've called several of the well drillers in the area and as soon as I mention a buried pressure tank the line goes silent.

quote:

Originally posted by Jgrabow6493:

quote:

Do you have a buried pressure tank.?

We buried a couple of tanks. It was kind of a last resort thing. They were epoxy coated. I highly recommend not burying a tank. Because if they went bad. One has to dig them up to replace them.

I have a 30+ year old buried tank that I think is bad. I've called several of the well drillers in the area and as soon as I mention a buried pressure tank the line goes silent.

I can imagine that nobody would want that job until the spring, once the ground thaws out. Being in Wisconsin, I would think your ground is about like concrete. My neighbor tried to use a backhoe to dig a hole for a dead cow and the backhoe bucket just skipped on the surface of the soil.

quote:

I can imagine that nobody would want that job until the spring, once the ground thaws out. Being in Wisconsin, I would think your ground is about like concrete. My neighbor tried to use a backhoe to dig a hole for a dead cow and the backhoe bucket just skipped on the surface of the soil.

There are ways but it always adds costs.