Warming a well with your own hands or how not to be left without water in winter

Warming methods

You can buy insulation in almost every hardware store. It is worth noting that the choice of such building materials is striking in its diversity.

Warming can be done with modern material - polystyrene foam, or turn to centuries-old traditions and use wood. The main thing is that the process of water supply does not stop.To understand which of the insulation methods suits you best, carefully study all the options described below.

There are the following ways of installing insulation:

1. Warming outside. In this case, all parts of the structure that are above ground level are subject to insulation.
2. Insulation of the inside of the well. This method is only suitable for protecting technological structures. If we are talking about plumbing, you can install a hatch.

Materials for insulation should be selected taking into account the climatic zone.

wood insulation

Wood is an excellent heat-insulating material. Unfortunately, some people simply do not have enough money to completely lay out the well shaft with logs, but there is a way out. All that is needed is to build a house around the well. Such a structure will not only perfectly protect the water from freezing, but will also become an excellent element of the landscape design of the site.

To prevent cold from entering the house for the well, it is necessary to prepare a site for it in advance. You can do this in several ways:

• build an air cushion;
• make a blind area;
• cover with rubble or expanded clay.

The cost of solving the problem in this way is low. Any owner of a private house can afford the necessary building materials. Insulate the shaft with wood so you don't have to guess whether the water freezes or not.

Polyurethane foam - cheap and reliable

This material is expensive, but it will reliably protect the well from frost. With the help of a heater, it will be possible to make an airtight cladding.

Polyurethane foam does not deform even after several years of service, it is resistant to decay. Before installation, the surface does not need to be treated with additional means.They can protect the place of insertion of pipes, as well as couplings, from frost.

Polyurethane has a lot of positive characteristics inherent in polystyrene foam, but unlike polystyrene, it cannot be destroyed by rodents. It should be remembered that on rings located above the ground, it is necessary to renew the paint annually.

Expanded polystyrene - the best insulation

This is a sought-after material that has an affordable price. Expanded polystyrene does not allow moisture to pass through, it will reliably protect the structure from frost. It is distinguished by a long service life and ease of installation.

A significant disadvantage of this heat-insulating material is the fear of ultraviolet radiation. In the sun, it quickly deteriorates. To get rid of this drawback is very simple: you need to paint the outer part of the structure. It can be wrapped with foil, roofing material and other similar materials.

Manufacturers produce insulation in sheets. Before use, they are cut into strips, then fixed to concrete structures. The space between the tapes is filled with mounting foam.

Other ways to insulate a well

The range of heaters is wide. There is penofol in construction stores. This is a foil material, but it is rarely used to protect wells due to the fact that it does not withstand mechanical loads well.

There is also a special shell on sale that can be used to protect the pipe. If the budget is limited, it will replace sprayed polyurethane foam. The shell consists of 2 parts, it is easy to install on the concrete rings of the well. The configuration is different, so it is easy to choose a product based on the diameter of the pipes.

Having fixed the halves of the shell on the pipe, the joints are blown out with foam. As a result, a hermetic structure will be created.

Why you can not use mineral wool

Fiberglass and mineral wool are not suitable for protecting the well from freezing temperatures, because particles of insulation can get into the water, making it unusable.

In what cases is the pump in the well all year round

Two types of pumping equipment can be used to supply water from a well - submersible pumps and surface pumps. Submersible, as the name implies, go deep into the well, and are suspended at a certain height from the bottom. Such equipment is designed for year-round work, and it is not at all necessary to get it for the winter.

Surface pumps are installed on top of the well, and pumping and lifting is carried out using hoses or pipes. The main danger for pumping equipment in winter is the freezing of water inside pipes, hoses, in the damper-accumulator and in the cavities of the pump itself. Turning into ice, water can destroy the mechanism, break the tubes and the storage tank.

Innovative way of water supply device

More recently, a new method for creating a winter water supply has been developed, based on the use of industrially insulated flexible polymer pipes.

On top of the heat-insulating shell of such pipes there is a layer of waterproofing, and along the surface of the pipe there is a special channel for laying the heating cable, which greatly simplifies installation and shortens the laying of the water pipe.

The pipes are flexible and supplied in coils, which can minimize the number of joints, and therefore reduce the risk of leaks and the need for repairs.

The cost of such pipes is quite high, but using them, you save on insulation, and simplify the installation of the plumbing system.Symbols: d – pipe diameter; e is the pipe thickness; e1 is the thickness of the containment; D - outer diameter of the pipe with insulation

Warm lid

Achieving an excellent result in insulation is difficult to imagine without external insulation. After all, no matter how good the insulation is, it protects the side. At the same time, the surface remains open and nothing prevents it from becoming covered with an ice crust.

Sometimes reinforced concrete lids are used. But they also require additional insulation in the form of a layer of foam or expanded polystyrene. Such a cover is attached with glue or nails.

A separate solution stands out as a house for a well. This approach will allow you to create a nice looking design that will allow you to insulate the well. And unlike the cover, the house does not interfere with the use of the well for its intended purpose in the cold season. The roof also protects from rain and various debris that can be brought by the wind.

You can buy a house in a store or make it yourself. If you have ordinary carpentry tools, this will not be difficult. Before installing the structure, it is necessary to prepare a foundation that will not allow the structure to sink.

The essence of the structure: an insulated cover is placed inside the well at ground level.

Insulating cover made of combined materials in the well (sandwich panel)

Consider a modern and technological case.

To make an insulating cover, you will need the following materials:

• Moisture resistant plywood sheet;
• Insulation material - foam plastic with a thickness of 50 mm;
• Plastic ventilation pipe;
• Joiner's glue;
• Mounting foam;
• Wire.

Cover for well insulation (moisture-resistant three-layer insulation sandwich panel)

The hole should not be too large so that a minimum amount of cold air enters through it. For convenience, it is worth drilling a hole closer to the edge of the round workpiece, the diameter is about 50-60 mm. Along the contour of the lower plywood circle, it is necessary to drill 4 small holes for the wire. It is needed to hang the lid on the upper edges of the well rings.

Insulation scheme "Economy"

Now you need to cut a similar circle of foam and make a hole in it for the ventilation pipe. The foam circle is glued to the plywood with wood glue, a second sheet of plywood is glued on top of it. AT hole inserted ventilation pipe. To seal the connection and secure the pipe, you can use the same wood glue or mounting foam.

If the air temperature in the region does not drop to record values, then you can equip a small wooden frame around the upper ring of the well

For this you will need:

• wooden logs;
• Styrofoam;
• Nails;
• waterproofing film;
• Plywood;
• Wire.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with Roof insulation from the inside: choose a heater and do the installation yourself

First you need to glue the outer surface of the ring of the well with a waterproofing film. Now rectangular blanks are cut from foam plastic - 6 pieces. Their size should be such that when wrapping around the contour of the ring, a hexagon is obtained, this will ensure maximum tightness to the surface of the ring.

To fix the foam on the surface of the ring, you can use an ordinary aluminum wire, which will pull it together with three rings.Aluminum wire is soft, so it is convenient to fix foam sheets with it, it is also not subject to corrosion, so a rust layer will not appear on the surface of the insulation.

Now it is necessary to build a small log house from wooden logs, coinciding in height with the outer ring of the well. The log house should also have a hexagonal shape. On top of the obtained walls of the “house”, a “sandwich” cover similar to the one described above is laid. For aesthetics, you can put a beautiful pattern on it.

How to insulate a well

Water supply in a summer cottage is an integral part for a comfortable stay. And many people, in order to organize an uninterrupted supply of water, equip wells on their plots. Correctly drilling a well and laying communications is one of the main tasks, but the second equally important problem that you need to solve is to think about how to insulate the well so that it works smoothly even in winter frosts.

Why you need to insulate the well

Note! Before how to insulate well, consider the possible options for the available methods, which differ in the complexity of their implementation

Ways to insulate wells

If you do not live in a country house in winter, then you will not need insulation, it will be enough to pump out water before the winter season, close the lid, fill the well with sawdust or leaves, cover it all with polyethylene and fix the structure. For those who spend the winter in country houses. There are several options for how to insulate a well.

caissons

These are structures (made of concrete, iron or plastic) that are installed at the top of a well or well.They are square or round in shape and are often installed as the last link of a well, instead of a reinforced concrete ring section.

It is better to insulate the well with the installation of caissons, followed by the laying of insulation, which is used as expanded clay or fine gravel screenings.

Note! If your well is powered by an automatic pump. then in the caissons it is possible to install additional filters and other automation, which is usually located in the house

Well ring insulation

Ring insulation

You can insulate the well with expanded clay. It is necessary to dig a trench around the rings of the well to a depth of two meters and with a width of 70-80 cm, and then fill it with expanded clay or fine-grained gravel. Mineral wool can also be used, but only this will require the construction of a wooden formwork, which must be laid with roofing material. so that the heater does not rot. The insulation is also covered not with earth, but with expanded clay with concreting of the upper layer.

decorative house

You can build a small hut made of logs or bricks over the location of the well. To do this, you will need to prepare a shallow foundation and build a structure. Such a structure will well protect water from freezing and play an additional decorating role. A more spacious house, which can be used as a storage room for country equipment, will bring great benefits.

Hanging cover in the well

Hanging cover

This is a fairly simple, but no less effective way to insulate a well. An insulating cover will protect against frost, which helps to accumulate the temperature of the water in the well.It must be mounted at such a depth at which it will not reach the water, and will be slightly above the freezing level or on the same level with it.

What to do if the water in the well is frozen?

If the winter turned out to be really very cold, but you didn’t have time to insulate your source, you will have to familiarize yourself with the features of its “defrosting”. What will be required for this?

1. Assess the degree of freezing of water in the source;
2. If the layer of ice is not too thick, break it with a crowbar;
3. After that, remove large pieces of ice from the water;
4. Cover the source with an insulated lid;
5. Wrap the plinth of the structure with styrofoam.

In fact, thermal insulation of a well is a way to extend the “life” of the entire structure. When the water freezes, the walls of the source begin to quickly collapse, as a result of which it is no longer possible to operate it. To insulate the structure, you can use materials such as foam, polystyrene foam, isolon and others. They will protect the well from freezing water, and the structure itself from deformation and complete destruction.

The need for thermal insulation

This is by no means the main problem. The main thing is that the water does not freeze!

Where the well is planned to be used throughout the year, the structure is usually insulated even at the construction stage. But country wells are sometimes made uninsulated. The result is not long in coming - already in the first rather cold winter, serious problems begin.

It is necessary to protect the well from freezing for a number of reasons:

1. The first, and most obvious, is the freezing of water and turning it into ice. This process is quite slow, because ice usually forms when the temperature outside reaches -15 ... -250C.However, even up to this point it will be inconvenient to use the source, since each time you have to break through a thin ice crust with a bucket.

A layer of ice blocks access to water and leads to the destruction of the structure.

1. An ice plug that forms on the surface of the water can damage the walls of the well. This is due to the fact that when ice forms, its volume increases, and the edges of the cork begin to put pressure on the surrounding surfaces. If the pressure falls on the junction of reinforced concrete rings, then there is a possibility that they will disperse, and if on a continuous section, then cracks may appear.

A small start to a big problem

Joints of concrete tracks have to be repaired more often

1. Ice formation also harms well equipment: pumps can completely fail, hoses can crack and lose their tightness. That is why it is not worth leaving any equipment in an uninsulated well for the winter.
2. The same will be true for a caisson with installed external pumping equipment, and for a sewer well. Any facilities with pumping or water metering equipment must be equipped with thermal insulation, otherwise the resource of the equipment will be greatly reduced.

The caisson, insulated inside with foam, can also be used in winter

1. Another disadvantage is the ice plugs themselves. During the thaw, they partially thaw and fall into the water under their own weight. The result can be damage to the pump or even broken cables.

In any case, freezing can lead to serious problems. At the same time, the higher the water level in the source, the more noticeable will be the negative effect of low temperatures. That is why shallow wells need to be insulated more carefully.

Why is freezing wells dangerous?

It is a mistake to assume that well insulation is only necessary if it is used all year round. Many summer residents and seasonal residents of country houses sincerely do not understand why insulate a well, which no one uses in winter anyway. Meanwhile, such seasonal wells also need effective thermal insulation!

Otherwise, a variety of problems may arise that make the operation of the well difficult or even impossible:

• the formation of an ice plug in the plumbing system;
• the displacement of the rings resulting from the expansion of frozen water in the enclosing soils;
• failure of the ice plug and damage to pumping equipment;
• divergence of joints of reinforced concrete rings when water gets between the seams.

Wells that are not protected from low temperatures are much more likely to require repair work. And in terms of financial costs, repair measures are often more significant than one-time insulation work.

If a water supply system based on a well is installed on a suburban area, then in addition to the mine itself, it is required to insulate pipes to protect the supply line of the system from low temperatures.

Laying pipes below freezing depth

This method is advisable to use if in winter the soil freezes no deeper than 170 cm. A trench is dug from a well or well, the bottom of which is 10-20 cm below this value. Sand (10-15 cm) is poured to the bottom, the pipes are laid in a protective casing (corrugated sleeve), then they are covered with earth.

In order not to have to insulate the water supply on the street in frosts, it is better to do this in advance

This is the easiest way to make winter plumbing in the country, but it is not the best, although it is the cheapest.Its main drawback is that if repairs are needed, you will have to dig again, and to the full depth. And since it is difficult to determine the place of a leak with this method of laying a water pipe, there will be a lot of work.

In order to have as few repairs as possible, there should be as few pipe connections as possible. Ideally, they should not be at all. If the distance from the water source to the cottage is greater, make the connections carefully, achieving perfect tightness. It is the joints that leak most often.

The choice of material for pipes in this case is not an easy task. On the one hand, a solid mass presses from above, therefore, a strong material is needed, and this is steel. But steel laid in the ground will actively corrode, especially if the groundwater is high. The problem can be solved by well primed and painted over the entire surface of the pipes. Moreover, it is desirable to use thick-walled ones - they will last longer.

The second option is polymer or metal-polymer pipes. They are not subject to corrosion, but they must be protected from pressure - they must be placed in a protective corrugated sleeve.

Even if the ditch was dug below the freezing level, it is better to insulate the pipes anyway

One more moment. The depth of soil freezing in the region is determined over the past 10 years - its average indicators are calculated. But firstly, very cold and little snow winters occur periodically, and the ground freezes deeper. Secondly, this value is the average for the region and does not take into account the conditions of the site. Perhaps it is on your piece that freezing can be greater. All this is said to the fact that when laying pipes, it is still better to insulate them, lay sheets of foam or polystyrene foam on top, as in the photo on the right, or lay them in thermal insulation, as on the left.

You may be interested in reading "How to do automatic watering".

The best thermal insulators

In the process of warming sources, special attention must be paid to the choice of heat-insulating materials. The category of budget, but good in technical properties, thermal insulators include:

• Penoplex. The artificial material is one of the extruded polystyrene foam heat insulators. It is not afraid of moisture and mechanical stress, therefore it is suitable for lining well shafts. The material has a high vapor permeability, therefore it prevents the accumulation of condensate on the inner walls of the well;
• Izolon. The heat insulator on a self-adhesive base is covered with foil on the outside, which prevents heat loss in the well shaft. It can be used in the country for the insulation of reinforced concrete rings, the base and the source cover. It is not subject to corrosion and decay, since the outer side of the foil is covered with a thin polyethylene film;
• Polyurethane foam. A liquid heat insulator that you need to be able to apply correctly. To do this, use a special spray gun, from which the outer walls of the well are treated with a flow of heat-insulating mixture. The monolithic coating has low thermal conductivity, therefore it perfectly protects the source and the water in it from freezing;
• Styrofoam. This type of thermal insulating material is represented by half rings, which have a "lock" connection system. It is convenient to sheathe the walls of the well with expanded polystyrene, because if necessary it can be dismantled and reused.

Water supply of a private house from a well - options

To organize autonomous water supply from a well, you will need electric pumping equipment for water intake.It is impractical and not very reasonable to use mechanisms in the form of hand pumps and other devices, due to the fact that the simplest vibration pump can be purchased on the market for only 20 USD.

Other equipment is also relatively inexpensive, for example, the initial cost of a pumping station with a hydraulic accumulator, a relay and a pressure gauge starts at $100.

Also, the owner will have to lay external and internal water supply from various types of pipes, if polymers are used, their cost is also relatively low.

Systems with storage capacity

Given the relatively low flow rate of the well, the possibilities of continuous pumping of water from it are limited. Therefore, the use of storage tanks, where injection occurs periodically in small volumes, is the best suited for shallow wells with low pressure.

The storage water supply system of a private house from a well includes an electric pump and a tank with a volume of about 200 liters on the top floor or attic, connected to each other by a pipeline. An intra-house water supply departs from the tank, directing water to the points of analysis.

The system with a storage tank works according to the following principle. An electric pump immersed in a water supply well (usually an inexpensive vibration pump), when turned on, begins to supply water to a container in the attic. A float switch is installed in the tank, connected in series to the pump power cable. As soon as the tank is filled with water, the float rises, the contacts of the pump power circuit open, and it stops pumping.

Rice.4 Water supply of a private house from a well with a tank and a pressure boosting station

During water consumption, the reserves collected in the tank are consumed, the water level drops and the float switch lowers. The contacts inside it close the power circuit of the pump, it turns on and starts pumping water again.

If the design of the house does not allow installing a storage tank at the top in the attic, you can lower the tank down or bury it underground. At the same time, an additional surface electric pump or station will be required to supply water to the internal water supply.

There is an option to install a storage tank at the bottom, in which you can do without an additional electric pump. However, in this case, you will have to purchase an expensive large-volume hydraulic accumulator and pump water into it with a pump through a pressure switch that will turn off the water supply when a predetermined pressure threshold is reached.

A system with a storage tank can only provide a pressure of about 1 bar at a tank height of 10 m above the level of water intake points. However, there is a way out of the existing situation, and it consists in installing an additional booster electric pump in the water main.

Another disadvantage of the storage tank in the attic, in addition to the fence of usable area, is the likelihood of flooding the house if the internal float switch malfunctions. A solution to the problem is to use a drain hose at the top of the container that goes outside.

Rice. 5 Water supply of a private house from a well with a hydraulic tank

Water supply with hydraulic accumulator

An autonomous water supply system from a well without a storage tank is designed for continuous replenishment of water reserves during water consumption and is suitable for well sources with a high flow rate. It includes a deep or surface pump, a pressure switch, a pressure gauge and an accumulator tank.

The functioning of an autonomous hydroaccumulator system occurs according to the following principle. The switched on electric pump pumps water into the pipeline and the hydraulic accumulator, which is a metal tank with an elastic membrane. After filling the hydraulic tank with water, it presses on the membrane of the pressure switch connected to it, the contacts open inside it and the pump power supply circuit is interrupted. Usually, the upper threshold for turning off the relay in private homes is set at 2.5 bar.

When water is consumed, the pressure in the line drops, and when it reaches the switch-on threshold of the relay (approximately 1.5 bar), the electric pump is again supplied with power and water is pumped. The process is periodically repeated, the time interval between cycles is determined by the volume of the hydraulic tank.

Thanks to the hydraulic tank with an elastic membrane, the pipeline is not subject to strong water hammer, and the water volume collected in the tank guarantees some reserve in case of a power outage.

Rice. 6 Typical vibration pump and its installation diagram

Method three. Construction of a wooden house

If your site is located in an area where the temperature is not too low in winter, you can build a protective wooden frame over the mine. To do this, prepare:

1. wire;
2. nails;
3. waterproof film;
4. logs;
5. plywood sheets;
6. expanded polystyrene.

Step one.First of all, paste over the top ring from the inside with a pre-prepared film. Next, take the foam and cut six rectangles out of it. Make the dimensions of the latter such that as a result of the lining of the ring an even hexagon is formed. Such a little trick will significantly increase the density of sticking foam.

Step two. Then you need to fix the foam. To do this, wrap it with ordinary wire in at least three rings. It is advisable to use aluminum wire for this, as it does not rust and is quite soft. As a result, it will be easy to manipulate it, and there will be no corrosion on the surface of the insulating layer.

Step three. After that, build a log house from logs of small sizes. The height of the log house must be flush with the well itself, and its shape must be hexagonal. Lay a cover consisting of several layers on top of the finished house (as described in the first method of insulation). Then you can paint the design so that it is not only functional, but also aesthetic.

Video - Installation of the house

For a more detailed acquaintance with the technology, we recommend watching the thematic video.

How to prepare

Preparation begins with the choice of method. In order to perform the work qualitatively, to obtain the planned result, it is necessary:

To study the composition of the soil below the bottom of the working. To do this, it is desirable to carry out auger drilling in order to determine from the extracted samples to what depth it is necessary to increase the well shaft and obtain the required water level.
Based on the received soil samples, with the advice of specialists, decide which method of immersion to use

It is important that there is no quicksand under the bottom of the working (a layer of silt of sand and clay mixed with water), which can complicate the task and sometimes affect the decision to stop the operation of the source.
Go down and examine the condition of the reinforced concrete products, possible cracks, depressurization of the joints between the rings.
Determine the condition and capacity of the soil at the bottom of the working, prevent the concrete structure from sinking when deepening.
Having decided on the way to increase the bottom, prepare the necessary materials, tools and equipment.

Why is freezing water dangerous?

Freezing of water is dangerous at least because the sources cannot be used. But that's not all - the ice plug has a serious weight, and if it breaks, it will easily demolish the equipment installed in the mine that will be in its path. But even if you do not have cables and a pump, it is still dangerous, because, as you know, the volume of ice is greater than the volume of water. Accordingly, the cork presses on the rings. This is fraught with displacement of the rings, rupture of the seams between them, and the appearance of cracks. In turn, this leads to blockages of the soil. And this will require complex repairs. Therefore, it is better to immediately insulate the well, water pipes and sewerage for the winter than to solve the problems that have arisen later.

The argument in favor of this procedure is the fact that the rings themselves are seriously destroyed by ice, which means that they begin to age. Rings are destroyed much faster than usual. So, insulation will save you from having to dig a new well. Therefore, consider how you can prepare for the cold.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Video #1 Insulation of the well with foil isolon:

Video #2 Creation of thermal insulation by spraying polyurethane foam:

In our climate, the insulation of a reinforced concrete well is a necessary measure, even with its seasonal use. The cost of insulation work will pay off in the shortest possible time, because you no longer have to carry out expensive repairs to the well and organize the supply of water when it is out of order.

The choice of thermal insulation materials on the modern market is large and you will surely find the option that best suits your installation method and cost.

Do you want to talk about your own experience in insulating a well shaft or provide useful information? Perhaps, in the course of familiarization with the information provided, you have any questions? Please write your comments in the box below.