Do-it-yourself insulation of a well from concrete rings: how to reliably protect it from freezing

Insulation of a well from concrete rings is an important procedure, and sometimes even necessary. Ignoring the thermal insulation measure will lead to the fact that in winter you can be left without water supply. In addition, unfrozen communications will have to be restored, which will lead to additional costs.

Does water freeze in a well?

Previously, no one thought about the insulation of the heads installed on the water supply source. The structures were made of wood. The material has excellent thermal insulation properties, due to which the water never freezes. Modern heads of water sources are made of concrete rings. Reinforced concrete structures are used for sewerage, wells, drainage wells are equipped from them. Concrete has a high thermal conductivity. The ring will freeze like the ground.

However, in order to find out whether it is necessary to insulate a concrete structure, two important factors are taken into account:

• soil freezing level;
• the level of the water mirror or communications located in the mine.

The level of soil freezing in different regions is different. For the south, this value is limited to 0,5 m. In the northern regions – from 1,5 m and more. The indicator for temperate latitudes ranges from 1 to 1,5 m. If the water mirror or the water supply equipment installed in the mine is above the freezing level of the soil, then the water will definitely freeze. This well needs to be insulated.

Do I need to insulate the well?

Even if the well is used only in the summer in the country, it is considered a gross mistake to refuse to insulate it for the winter. Nothing will happen to a wooden structure, but a concrete structure will bring an unpleasant surprise.

The most common problems:

1. When a water supply from a well passes inside the mine, ice plugs will appear in the pipes at sub-zero temperatures. The expansion will break the pipeline. If pumping equipment is still installed, after the ice plug is broken, it will be damaged.
2. Freezing water inside the well itself or in the soil adjacent to the rings forms a large expansion. Concrete structures are shifting. It turns out depressurization of the walls of the mine.
3. A similar problem occurs when water freezes between the seams of the rings. Joints are destroyed. Dirty water from the side of the soil begins to seep into the mine.

In the summer, all the problems that have arisen will have to be eliminated. In addition to high labor costs, repairs will cost the owner dearly.

How to insulate a well from freezing

For thermal insulation of concrete rings, a material that does not absorb water is suitable. There is no benefit from loose insulation. It will do more damage.

The most suitable heaters are:

1. Styrofoam is most often used for warming wells. Popularity is explained by low thermal conductivity, water absorption. Styrofoam is not expensive, easy to operate, resistant to deformation during soil movement. A big plus is the ease of installation. For concrete rings, a special shell is produced. Foam elements have a semicircular shape. To insulate the shaft, it is enough to glue them on the concrete surface of the ring, fix them with dowels-umbrellas, and wrap the entire structure with waterproofing material. When the insulation of the well for the winter with your own hands is completed, the pit around the rings is covered with soil.

   

   Important! Polyfoam has a huge disadvantage. The material is damaged by rodents, equipped for the winter in the nest insulation.
2. Extruded polystyrene foam is similar to polystyrene, but has better characteristics. The material is characterized by lower thermal conductivity, resistance to high loads. Expanded polystyrene is ideal for insulating concrete structures, but at a cost it is more expensive than polystyrene. Thermal insulation is produced by plates. It is optimal to use material with a width of 30 cm. The slabs can be laid tightly on the surface of the concrete ring. The insulation technology is the same as in the case of foam. The joints between the plates are blown with mounting foam.

   

3. Cellular polymer insulation produced in rolls. The material has flexibility, low thermal conductivity, resistant to moisture, heavy loads. A popular representative of rolled thermal insulation is isolon and its analogues, for example, penolin or isonel. There are brands of self-adhesive polymer insulation. If there is no adhesive layer, the insulation to the surface of the concrete ring is fixed with an adhesive for outdoor use. The joints are glued with tape so that moisture does not seep under the insulation. After winding the ring, the trench around it is covered with soil.

   

4. The most modern and most reliable insulation is polyurethane foam. The mixture is applied to the surface of the concrete ring by spraying. After hardening, a strong shell is formed that does not require additional waterproofing. The insulation withstands heavy loads, is plastic, has low thermal conductivity. Polyurethane foam does not damage rodents and insects. The only downside is the high cost. To insulate the well in the country, you will need special equipment. Buying it for one job is not profitable. We’ll have to hire outside experts.

   

5. Among the listed heaters there is no mineral wool. The material is very popular, but it is not suitable for warming wells.

   

Mineral wool will serve well in a dry environment. The outside of the well is sprinkled with soil, which gets wet during rain and snow melt. Even reliable waterproofing is not able to protect mineral wool. Thermal insulation is saturated with water, loses its properties. In winter, wet cotton wool will freeze, doing more harm than good to concrete rings.

How to insulate a well for the winter with your own hands

There are two ways to insulate a well: during its construction or a ready-made structure. The first option is the best, it requires less labor. If the well has already been built, for thermal insulation it will have to be dug to a depth below 50-100 cm from the level of soil freezing.

In the video, an example of how you can insulate a well from concrete rings with your own hands with foil-coated material:

Insulation of a well well

When the water supply is equipped from the well, a caisson is placed above the mouth of the mine. In home-made manufacturing, the structure is often made of concrete rings. The structure is an ordinary mine with a ladder for descent. Inside there is pumping equipment, a hydraulic accumulator, filters, valves, pipelines and other automation components.

The head of the caisson can protrude to the surface of the soil or be completely buried. However, in any case, without insulation, it will freeze. Even in a buried structure, the upper part of the shaft cannot be located below the freezing level of the soil.

Thermal insulation measures for concrete rings can be carried out in two ways:

1. If the shaft of concrete rings outside has reliable waterproofing, do-it-yourself insulation of the well with foam plastic is done from the inside. The walls are pasted over with several layers of thin plates, since it is easier for them to give a semicircular shape. Roll foam is great. The disadvantage of internal insulation is the reduction of space inside the well. In addition, during maintenance of the equipment, the foam is easily damaged.

   

2. Outside, insulation is performed in three cases: with poor waterproofing of the shaft from rings, if loose thermal insulation is used, or there is a need to prevent a decrease in internal space. Styrofoam is less suitable for such work. It is optimal to insulate the well with polystyrene foam or polymer insulation with a foil coating.

   

There is another reliable but complicated way. To insulate the wall, the well is completely dug out. The mine is fenced off from the ground with a casing pipe. Its diameter is greater than the diameter of concrete rings by 2 thicknesses of thermal insulation. This is the only option where mineral wool can be used. An important condition is the organization of reliable waterproofing.

The fact is that the insulation will have to be pushed into the gap formed between the inner wall of the casing and the outer surface of the concrete rings. The use of foam or sprayed insulation is irrelevant here. Materials cannot densely fill the space. Mineral wool is pushed so tightly that the possibility of voids is excluded.

How to insulate a water well for the winter

Inside the water well, shut-off and control valves, drain emergency taps are usually located. In order not to freeze the knot, it needs to be insulated. There are three ways to insulate a water well:

1. Warming from the inside. The method is used for wells for technological purposes. In the version with water supply, it is enough to insulate the hatch.
2. Ground thermal insulation outside. The method is based on the insulation of a part of the well located above the ground level.
3. Underground thermal insulation outside. The method is based on digging the well shaft to the entire depth of immersion in the ground and fastening it to the insulation rings.

To insulate the hatch, it is necessary to make an additional cover of such a diameter that it fits tightly inside the shaft from reinforced concrete rings. There are many options. The lid is knocked together from boards, cut out of plywood, polystyrene foam boards. Be sure to come up with handles made of wire or other material so that it is convenient to lift.

An excellent design is considered to be a cover of two halves. It is more convenient to stack and remove from the mine. The cover is located deep inside the well at a mark below the freezing level of the soil. Under it, you will have to fix the limiters on the inner wall of the ring. From above, the well is covered with an ordinary hatch. The inner cover will not save the mine from flooding with rainwater.

Perform external above-ground insulation of wells with foam or foam. The concrete walls of the ring are covered with a shell, they protect the thermal insulation with a decorative finish. Usually the role of protection and additional thermal insulation is played by a wooden head. The structure is assembled from timber and boards. On the head, a door is provided that replaces the hatch.

With external underground insulation, the well is dug to a depth below 1 m of the soil freezing level. The concrete surface is treated with a primer, waterproofing is installed, and expanded polystyrene plates are fixed. From above, the thermal insulation is covered with another layer of waterproofing, the soil is backfilled. The part of the isolated shaft protruding above the ground is lined with bricks. You can install a wooden head in the same way as the previous method.

How to insulate a sewer well for the winter

The thermal insulation of a sewer well is no different from the measures taken for the water supply. If the level of soil freezing is small, it is enough to install a wooden head over the shaft from the rings. It is not reasonable to make an inner cover. It is inconvenient to use it in a sewer well. In addition, the lid can be flooded with sewage.

For cold regions where deep freezing of the soil is observed, the method of external underground thermal insulation is acceptable. The mine is dug up, and first of all, a reliable waterproofing is equipped. If sewage from the well penetrates through the joints between the rings to the insulation, it will disappear. Further actions include fixing polystyrene foam boards or spraying polyurethane foam. After backfilling the soil, the upper part of the well is closed with a wooden head.

In the video, an example of well insulation:

Drainage well insulation

In most dachas, drainage wells are not used in winter. Water was pumped out of the mine, equipment was removed. Such structures do not require the arrangement of thermal insulation. She is simply not needed.

There is no need to create an insulated well in the country if the closed-type drainage system is located below the freezing level of the soil. The water here will not freeze at extremely low temperatures.

Thermal insulation is in demand when the drainage system operates year-round, and the filtration drainage well is not deep. Insulation is performed exactly the same as for sewerage. You can simply sprinkle the rings on the outside with gravel. To do this, the mine is being dug. The walls of the pit are covered with geotextiles. The entire space is covered with gravel. Do not forget to insulate the supply drainage pipes.

Tips and Tricks

Usually the temperature inside the insulated mine in winter is maintained within + 5 ^оC. This is enough for the normal functioning of any system. If it so happened that the well insulation from concrete rings was destroyed by rodents, the water will not immediately freeze. It can get a little frosty. The first call of danger is a decrease in system performance. You need to open the hatch immediately and assess the situation. Stuck pipes can be easily thawed with hot water. A good effect is given by a directed jet of hot air from a hair dryer or fan heater.

To make it to the spring repair of thermal insulation, the pipeline inside the well is covered with rags or mineral wool. You can hang a heating cable on the walls of the shaft and turn it on periodically during severe frosts.

Conclusion

Insulation of a well from concrete rings of any type occurs almost according to the same principle. It is better to perform this procedure immediately at the stage of its construction and laying communications, otherwise you will have to do extra work.