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Small Cabin Forum / General Forum / Need to build a well house
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jjlrrw
Member
# Posted: 20 May 2017 12:48
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Not sure if this is the correct forum but here goes.

We are looking at purchasing a new cabin and would like to use it year around, location in NLP Michigan so hard freeze in the winter.

Our current cabin has a well pit and we never had any issues with freezing, we do close it down when leaving draining and blowing out lines with compressed air. We plan to do the same with new cabin.

This new cabin seems to have only been used during spring, summer and fall. The well and expansion tank are located outside under the deck that extends out from a river bank. So I have easy access without crawling under the building. I was thinking about building a well house around the pump and tank ~4' x 4' x 4' just big enough to have a little room to do any repairs and fit a small air compressor. the front would be a door for access that would be latched and locked.

I was thinking of using 6" or 8" thick walls, door, top and bottom thinking of using foam insulation, either the sheets or spray or batt insulation maybe double it up?? Also thinking about getting a line thermostat and using three higher wattage incandescent light bulbs to keep temperature >40 degrees F. Figured using three bulbs for redundancy in case one or two burn out.

Anyone have experience with above ground well pumps? Am I way off if left field with my thinking?

thanks to all for any input!

bldginsp
Member
# Posted: 20 May 2017 15:46
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Only thing I'd change would be to use heat tape instead of light bulbs, just because light bulbs burn out as you say. And with heat tape you can wrap it around vulnerable pipes etc., so you are not depending on keeping the temperature in the box above freezing, just keeping the metal above freezing.

jjlrrw
Member
# Posted: 20 May 2017 16:10
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Thanks, I noticed there was heat tape around the pipe going into the cabin and wrapped around the pump. Do you think the tape would keep the water in the pump and tank from freezing? I was hoping to keep the pump and tank pressurized when gone so once we arrived all we had to do is shutoff the drain valve and open the main valve.

bldginsp
Member
# Posted: 20 May 2017 22:58
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I suppose that enough tape connected with a thermostat would do the job. It would also raise the temp in the shed if you superinsulate. But I wouldn't want to see your electric bill if you left it like that all winter. Best thing to do is drain everything and blow it out with air when you leave. What do you mean, leave the pump and tank pressurized- leave the pump on to pressurize the tank, and drain the cabin piping? Don't know what advantage this serves, but I think I'd talk to a pump plumber in the area to see what they think the best thing is to do.

jjlrrw
Member
# Posted: 21 May 2017 07:21
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What we do now when we leave is climb down the well pit and close a valve to the cabin, open another to drain and blow out lines, then reverse the valves when we arrive. This way the pump stays primed, this new place not having a pit I would be concerned with the pump and lines to the tank freezing and didn't want to prime every time we get there. I am thinking ahead as we have an accepted offer but not yet closed on the place, we are having a well inspection so I will ask questions then.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 21 May 2017 11:06 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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In cold areas, like where my cabin is, they use a pit, remote from the well. Its an underground vault. Basically large concrete drain tiles, buried underground. With a access cover over it, ie 24 or 36" diameter. The pipe exits the well from the side of the well casing underground below the frost line. Might be 4 feet. Its called a "pitless adapter" and then the only thing you have coming out of the well cap is the power wire for the pump, no water line. This wire would run buried also tot he vault. This is where you control box, bladder, power from source and water line to cabin will all terminate too. No freezing and no heating needed. I would add one of those water hydrants/hose bib, made for outdoors where the valve is below the frost line and anytime you turn it off, it bleeds water off from the pipe. You can use this to bleed off the water int he cabin but turning power off to the pump, opening that up to bleed off cabin water too.

As for the pipe running up into the cabin, where it goes above the frost like, I would like to think running your line inside a larger line (so you can feed flex stuff through) and add heat tape to it.

In the old days, wells were in pits to prevent freezing, but flooding filled the pit and ran down the well and contaminated it, hence the name for the pitless adapter. Its still puts equipment in a pit, its jsut not with the well. Well pipe is usually sealed around its base with a slurry or bentonite. This is required of well drillers.

jjlrrw
Member
# Posted: 21 Nov 2017 22:55
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Update on the well house, it's done. I will post pic after this weekend. I ended up using PT plywood, built the floor first then the two walls, roof and the front is the door. I have R19 insulation.

When we leave the water on, I have a 30' heat tape to protect the water line running under the cabin, the tape will turn on at 35 and off at 42, the well house has a total of three outlets, two for heat one switched for the pump and 30' pipe tape. After draining water and blowing out the lines I will turn off the switch to the pump and 30'tape, the other outlets both have a thermostat one has a 6' pipe tape and a small ceramic heater, the other has a 6' heat tape and a 120W bulb, The two heat tapes are wrapped around the pump tank and pipes. Thermostats turn on at 35 off at 42. We were there last weekend it got down to 25 and a little snow it never drop below 39 inside the well house I was logging temp. Heading back Thursday to see how many times the heaters turned on and off.

Now my next question is floor insulation. I will start a new post.

hct4all
Member
# Posted: 1 Jan 2019 20:50
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jjlrrw
Hi. Do you have any pics of the well house? Thinking of doing this as well!

Thanks,

Rick

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