I know nothing about wells and need some info

[flashback]

Couple of months ago I bought a lake cabin on Watts Bar lake in Tn..planning on retiring there in about 5 years but right now I just try to sneak off as often as possible. It has a well and I know nothing about wells. The water is very clear and tastes a whole lot better than city water. Any maintainance tips or info you folks can pass on would surely be appriciated.. one question I have, is how do you keep the main line and that tank thingy from freezing in the winter if you are not there all the time? Thanks

 

[Boomyal]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Originally posted by flashback:<br />..... one question I have, is how do you keep the main line and that tank thingy from freezing in the winter if you are not there all the time? Thanks

Shut off the pump and drain it all. You'd be best off consulting a local well pump guy for details that relate to your area and circumstances.

 

[one more cast]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Around here we have three options that I can think of to keep things freezing.<br />1. drain<br />2.enclose the tank and line in an insulated box and keep it heated with heat lamps or other heat source.<br />3. wrap everything with heat tape.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Is this cabin winterized? Will you be keeping it heated all winter? And where does the waterpipe travel from the well to the house?<br /><br />If you are not planning to heat the cabin during winter, the entire water system in the house may need to be drained...pressure tank, well pipes, home pipes, and toilet tanks. Also all toilet bowls and drain traps may need antifreeze dumped in them to prevent drains from freezing/cracking and toilets from shattering.<br /><br />Even if you keep it heated all winter but your well line enters the house above the freeze line, or into an unheated crawlspace, you do not have a winterized system and again draining it may be your only real option while you're gone.<br /><br />It sounds to me like you should probably contact a plumber or well company out to your cabin and get some advice for your particular setup, since you have no knowledge of the system. If you handle the winter months wrong you may run the risk of severely flooding your entire cabin and ruining the structure. Make sure you understand it well (no pun intended!)<br /><br />The good news is, you're in Tennessee...so you may not even have a "freeze line" in the soil and freezing pipes may not be a big issue there like it is in more northern climates. BUT you definitely need local advice for this as every locale is different for your situation.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Freeze line here is about 18", and yea, we have pipes that freeze and rupture. Nighttime temps here regularly go into the teens and twenty's. Occasionally we have single digits for 2-3 days at a time.

 

[llfish]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

May want to have the well water tested. Surprising what is in the water these days. In Tn. the County Health Dept. will have it checked for $ 20.00.

 

[Mark42]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

I second Larry F. Get the water tested. Just because it tasts good doesn not mean it is not contaminated. Most of the home stores have water test kits for about $30. Follow the instructions on filling the bottle and drop in the mail. You get a water analysis back in about 2 weeks. <br /><br />In NJ the water must be tested as part of selling/buying a house. Did you have it done when you bought that place?<br /><br />BTW, most homes have an undersized well tank. If it is old, and a bladder or bag style tank, be aware that they usually fail after 7 to 10 years. Replace it with a large tank with 50 or more gallons of water capacity. It makes the well pump cycle on/off less extending it's life, the water pressure in the house does not cycle up/down as fast, and the larger tanks tend to outlive smaller tanks for the same gallons used per year. Was it inspected when you bought the house?

 

[ED21]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

I do the same thing at a place in Maryland. Regular temps in the 20's & teens.<br />Basically everything has to be drained down. <br />The pumps, water heaters & pipes. <br />Pour antifreeze in toilet tank & bowl. Partially flush so mixture gets inside the bowl. Pour a little in every drain too. <br />Making sure evey pipe is drained may take a little more effort if the house wasn't set up to drain the pipes. My place was set up by a plumber, my Dad, so there are strategically located plugs & valves that allow the water to drain. The idea is to figure out where water sets then figure out a way to drain it. Air could probably be used to purge lines instead.<br />Write it down so you can reverse it in the spring & again next fall.<br />One trick is to tape any plugs removed to the pipe or appliance it came from so it will be there next spring. It also reminds you something is disconnected.<br />Leave valves open so any residual water won't break it. I like to cover or plug open valves or pipe w/ paper towels taped on to keep any critters out.<br />A little water left in a tank won't hurt anything, but left in a pump or shower fixture might.<br />Be prepared for an occasional break & watch carefully when you turn it back on to catch any valves & plugs you may have missed.<br />Once you get a system down it isn't much trouble.<br />A lot cheaper than heating the house all winter if it doesn't get used.

 

[flashback]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Wow, Thanks for all the info guys, some of you guys must have wells! A little more detail on my situation... the well pipe is approx. 5 or 6 inches in diameter, don't know how deep it is. The pump is down in the pipe, so I guess the water down in the well it self doesn't freeze because it is below the frost line, right? that would mean the pump is 0k.. the water line from the well is underground as well, until it comes thru the foundation of the cabin and into the crawl space where there is about 3 feet of it exposed and the tank is hanging from straps on the floor joists above it..then a filter follows the tank and the rest is the house plumbing..there are several hose bibs at various locations in the system that I assume are to drain it down although I didn't see anything on the tank to drain it.. I thought about putting a small electic oil filled heater in the crawl and setting the furnace to 55% in the cabin but in the event of a power outage that would be worthless.. guess I will just drain it each time I use it, seems to be the safest way..although I do plan on going there during the winter months also.<br />BoatBouy, what part of area are you in?<br />To all of you folks who mentioned an inspection, If it was required here in Tn., no one told me, although, the previous owner had some paper work from a well company that replaced the pump and tank 3 years ago and also tested the water at that time. They claimed the water was ok. and that the pump would move 10 gals. a minute at 40 psi. is that a good thing? Thanks again to all of you who posted.

 

[Ron G]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Very good advice here,you should have no problems winterizing your system,make sure filters drained too and changed ever couple of months and for the pump 10 gals??that doesnt sound right to me??

 

[Boomyal]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Originally posted by Ron G:<br /> .... for the pump 10 gals??that doesnt sound right to me??

10 gpm is very common for a residential submersible well pump. Not to worry.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

You should have your well water checked for bacteria every 6-12 months.If bscteria present it is easily remedied by some Clorox down the well. If your heating system is electric and the area is prone to power outages then draining the system in the fall is the way to go.

 

[flashback]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Thanks folks, The 10 gals a minute seem to be enough, showers are good and all the appliances work fine.. don't think I want to hook my pressure washer up to it, although it only needs about 5 gals a minute. just don't know how much water is down there <br />deej, are you saying I should take the cap off the top off the well and dump some clorox down it? I didn't know I could drink that stuff.. must have to flush it out afterwords somehow.. do wells run dry? how can you know how much water is available? I am guessing that since I am on the lake, that most of the water in my well probably comes from the lake if the well is deeper than the lake bed..which would mean that the supply is unlimited..I know this is a lot of questions, but like I said, I am lost with this...

 

[Xcusme]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Flashback, deej offers sound advice. Owners of shallow wells can use bleach to kill bacteria too. Mix a solution 50/50 with water and remove well head (cap). Pour solution down the inside of the well casing. Open faucets in cabin until strong bleach smell is detected and close faucet. Do this for every faucet, toilet, shower. Leave undisturbed overnight. The next day, open faucets until bleach smell is gone, you're done.<br /><br />Since it sounds like you have a deep well, not a shallow well (sand point- driven well), it's unlikely you'll have supply water troubles. You can get a rough idea of the capacity of your well by doing a 'draw-down' test. Most well digging outfits , by law, have to file a report for each well they drill. From county records you should be able to find out how deep they dug down into the aquifer.

 

[ED21]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

When I had my 300' well pump replaced the plumber poured a couple cups of swimming pool chlorine down the well per local code.<br />It took a week to get rid of the odor in the water.<br />10 gal/min is fine.It never hurts to have water tested.<br />The submersible pump & pipe underground won't freeze. It's only after it comes out of the ground & into the house you have to worry, especially if the house isn't heated.

 

[lakelivin]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Do you have a round concrete casing outdoors (usually approx 3' in diameter or so) where the pipe goes down to the well? Even though I live in northern NC, neighbors have had pipes burst within that enclosure when temps dipped way down. They now run an extension cord to it and leave a utility lamp lit to keep in warm if below freezing temps are expected.<br /><br />I've found that a better solution is to take trash bags, pack them full but LOOSELY with insulation (remamber, it's trapped air that insulates, don't want to squeeze it out of the insulation), and then fill the enclosure with the insulation bags. Protects the pipes in the enclosure without wasting electricity (or risk of a power outage).<br /><br />Been here for over 10 years and have had no problems despite temps that have dipped below zero on several occasions.

 

[dtherrien]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Is your well a drilled well or a dug well.A drilled well you will have a less chance of bacteria....worst case you might have some sulfur or bacterial iron...a water softener will handle any mild cases.A dug well is different...you could get dangerous bacteria at any time if an animal or snakes and lizards can get into it.<br />As for as the pump,drain it and diconnect it from the water line from your well.Open all fausets and drain everything....but i will guarranty you will have leaks unless you can blow out both hot and cold lines.

 

[flashback]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

thanks all, you folks are the best... let me add a wrench to the problem.. on the drain side of this discussion, I have a septic tank, and I understand that anti-freeze is toxic to just about all living things.. should I use cheap gin instead? I am serious

 

[craze1cars]

Re: I know nothing about wells and need some info

Use a biodegradable antifreeze...the RV type, found in any home improvement store. Usually it's pink. Don't use auto antifreeze, bad for the environment and the septic system.