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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Those of you with experience with cisterns
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grover
Member
# Posted: 13 Oct 2021 11:40
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I have a 1200 gallon concrete cistern buried with the top exposed. I’m planning the plumbing now and I’m wondering how cold it will get inside the cistern. My concern is the pipes freezing. Was planning on a union near the lid. If I can use a pitless adapter it will keep it lower and less prone to freeze, I think. I am in southern Indiana so it doesn’t get extremely cold but we do get some weeks where it stays in the teens with some nights near zero.

frankpaige
Member
# Posted: 13 Oct 2021 22:00
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No cistern here. Just tossing thoughts out. Inside? Bet it gets chilly, but? Does the top get sunshine? Mostly shade? Think that inside the temps would be cool, but not cold enough to freeze. "Comes with all disclaimers". It is the outside pipes I would be most concerned with. I would be timid, very timid.
It is you statement about "some weeks where it stays in the teens" At those temps, it just gets cumulative.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 13 Oct 2021 23:06 - Edited by: gcrank1
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My guess would be to keep the water level below the average frost depth of your area.
That might actually be a bit lower than needed but should be 'safe'.

NorthRick
Member
# Posted: 15 Oct 2021 01:12
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The rule of thumb up here is that an inch of foam board insulation is worth about a foot of dirt as far as frost depth goes.

Put a few inches of foam board over the cistern and the piping runs and I think you will be fine. Go 1 foot out horizontally for each inch of insulation.

spencerin
Member
# Posted: 16 Oct 2021 18:26
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grover, where in southern IN are you? I'm in Crawford County.

grover
Member
# Posted: 16 Oct 2021 22:35
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Perry county
Foam board sounds like cheap insurance. Can the closed cell board be buried too? Was thinking of putting some over the top of my buried water line.

NorthRick
Member
# Posted: 17 Oct 2021 12:03
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Quoting: grover
Foam board sounds like cheap insurance. Can the closed cell board be buried too?


Yes. That's actually better as it is more resistant to absorbing water which lowers the R value of the insulation.

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