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The main source of water supply for cottages and dachas located outside the city is a well. Its operation during the summer period does not cause any difficulties. With the onset of cold weather, the owners have to think about how to insulate the well for the winter.
Why insulate a well
As soon as the thermometer crosses the zero mark at night, there is immediately a risk of water freezing in the water pipes. Not only can the water not be used, there is a high probability of pipe destruction, which can be eliminated only after the onset of heat or in emergency mode. If there is no need to use the well during the cold season, then we drain the water from the system, and all the frosts are unaffected. If there is a need for water all year round, you need to think about how the well will be prepared for winter.
Video “How to insulate a well or a well”
From this video you will learn how to properly insulate a well or well for the winter.
Warming methods
So that in the cold season the house is not left without water, you need to think about how to insulate the tap in the yard for the winter, the upper head of the well and the pipe through which water is supplied. Such insulation can be a caisson device, a pipe-in-pipe method or a heating cable. It is important to choose the right insulation material and its design features. The use of modern materials and technologies will make it possible to prepare the cottage for the use of water all year round.
Heat insulating materials
Depending on the climatic conditions of the location of the country house, materials are selected that will allow you to freely use the column or street tap in the cold season. For a mild and warm climate, it will be enough to make a box slightly larger than the head of the well and fill it with natural heaters, which we can easily find in the summer cottage:
- straw;
- sawdust;
- dry leaves;
- high-moor peat.
They can also be used to insulate a faucet in the yard and pipes that supply water to the house. But this is possible only in the southern regions, where the winter temperature does not fall below 10–12 °C below zero.
For other regions, it would be correct to use modern industrial heaters based on polyurethane foam and mineral-based:
- polystyrene and polystyrene;
- polyurethane foam;
- basalt fiber;
- mineral wool;
- foam insulation.
These heat-resistant materials are easy to use and install. They are easy to work with a cutting tool. At the same time, they retain all their thermal insulation properties. These materials are placed inside the volume that requires insulation – be it a caisson or a separately made box for a crane, which is located in the yard.
When using heat-insulating materials, it is important to know their properties. Mineral wool or fiberglass will absorb moisture. This will not allow it to be used at high humidity or close proximity to groundwater. Glass wool is easily deformed even under small loads. Insulation from such material requires the creation of additional protective casings and contours.
Polystyrene and polystyrene are moisture resistant and easy to process. Such material is convenient when creating complex contours of insulation. But he needs protection from rodents. Polyurethane foam keeps heat and does not pass moisture. Basalt fiber is produced with a thin layer of aluminum foil for waterproofing. This is a convenient, but very expensive material.
Foam rubber insulation is made specifically for plumbing and heating of various diameters in the form of pipes that are put on the necessary section of the supplied communications. This method of insulation is relevant when laying pipes through the air on the street or indoors. In the ground, foam rubber will be deformed under the weight of the soil and will not be able to fulfill its functional purpose.
A convenient but expensive material is polyurethane foam. This foam should be used to insulate pipes after laying by spraying. It is important to know how to properly lay pipes to perform such insulation.
There is another method of pipe insulation – by applying thermal paint, which has heat-resistant properties. It is used to insulate pipes in hard-to-reach places.
Caisson
First of all, let’s understand what a caisson is. This is a special device of a cylindrical or square shape, which is designed to remove the casing from the well. Usually it is located below the freezing level of the soil, but this depends on the design of the well. The direct purpose of the caisson is to preserve the pumping equipment located at the head of the well.
The caisson is needed in order to provide convenient access to the water intake fittings in case of need for repair and maintenance. A hydraulic accumulator, filters, a pumping station – all this is located inside the caisson.
Regardless of the depth at which the equipment of the pumping station is installed, the head of the well is above the ground. The head material does not have heat-resistant properties. This means that at negative temperatures there is a possibility of water freezing in the well equipment.
Regardless of the shape and material (except plastic) from which the caisson is made, it is necessary to insulate its inner surface. If the case is airtight and the inside is protected from moisture, then the insulation used is protected from moisture. If rodents do not get to the inside of the caisson, then its surfaces are insulated with foam or polystyrene foam.
Regardless of the shape of the inner surface, all its parts are covered with a layer of thermal insulation. The use of polystyrene will require a large thickness of insulation, at winter temperatures below 25 ° C – 10 cm. Expanded polystyrene has the best heat resistance. Its thickness for the same climate will be 5–7 cm.
The body of a plastic caisson may not withstand the low temperatures of a cold winter. Therefore, such a body is insulated from the outside. For this, an additional box is made, which has large dimensions relative to the caisson body. The inner surface of the box is insulated with foam.
Plastic caisson can be insulated from the outside. Given the high risk of damage to the insulation by rodents, use polyurethane foam or other insulation that protects against pests and moisture.
External insulation will save the interior space. This is an important factor for the maintenance and repair of equipment located inside. All work on insulation does not require high qualifications and is done by hand.
If the lower part of the caisson is not very deep, and there is a possibility of freezing of the insulated body, then a heating element is installed. Typically, a low-power tubular electric heater (TEH) or a small piece of heating cable is used. Such elements are usually supplemented with a temperature sensor that controls the internal temperature, and, if necessary, turns on heating.
Heating cable
Well insulation with heat-resistant materials is referred to as passive protection. But there are other, more modern ways. The use of a heating cable is an active method and often becomes the only right decision when preparing a water supply system for winter in a country house. This will be especially true with rare use of the well in the cold season.
The heating cable is laid in two ways:
- inside the water pipe;
- outside the heated pipe.
The cable that is used for indoor installation is sanitary, non-toxic and meets higher electrical safety requirements than other heating or simple wires. The connection of such a cable to the water supply is carried out through a special tee, which must be installed in the existing network. Then measure the length of the pipe that will be heated by this cable. This size is measured on the cable and fed through the tee into the pipe.
This method of heating has a high efficiency and is very effective. The big disadvantage is that the curved sections of the network cannot be passed with this cable.
Another method of heating with a cable has a lower efficiency and its laying is more laborious. To heat the water supply with an external cable, you need to wrap the pipes with foil. Then, using aluminum thermal tape, attach the cable to the pipe.
Usually two heating cables are used for heating. They are placed along the pipe or laid in a spiral around the pipeline. The more turns of the spiral will be on the same sections of the pipe, the better the heating will be. With a high risk of freezing pipes, external cables are laid in a combined way: two equity wires are supplemented with several spiral ones.
To ensure economical operation of the system, when performing such insulation with an internal or external heating cable, a thermostat is installed. The sensor of this regulator is mounted directly on the pipe and the on and off temperature is set within 3-5 ° C. This setting will avoid frostbite on the pipes and, in the absence of frost, will allow the system to remain off.
The considered method is convenient, but the cost of heating cables, especially internal ones, is very high. In addition, in winter, not all summer cottages are constantly provided with electricity. Therefore, the relevance of using this method is considered individually.
Warming of the eyeliner to the house
If it is necessary to use water in the house in winter, it is important to carry out all the necessary measures at the stage of laying the supply pipe to prepare the system for winter operation.
If the laying and entry of the pipe into the house is made at a depth of more than one and a half meters, then there is no need for insulation.
A country house is often connected to the water supply using shallow pipe laying, well above the freezing level of the soil. Often there are options for outdoor connection by air or directly on the ground. In these situations, insulation is indispensable.
For pipes, special heaters of various diameters are made from industrial materials. The use of mineral, basalt wool or foam rubber is relevant for air pipe laying. For laying underground, these heaters must be covered with an additional casing to prevent compression of the insulation.
For pipe insulation, the use of foam is relevant. But in places of supply to the well and to the house, this insulation is protected from a possible attack by rodents.
The use of mineral fiber insulation, foam rubber and foam plastic will be appropriate when laying pipes inside unheated rooms, including basements. To protect against rodents and the ingress of moisture, which often forms in basements, the insulation is wrapped with waterproofing material, possibly even roofing material.
The most reliable, albeit expensive, is polyurethane foam pipe insulation. It is most convenient to use foam, covering which the surface of the pipes can avoid freezing. It is important to lay the pipe on a cushion of expanded clay before foaming. This will allow the insulation to completely cover the outer surface of the pipe.
Having studied the intricacies of preparing the well for winter, you can safely get to work.