Question about preventing pipes freezing (well)

[iyiyi]

Recently bought my first house. It has a well. I'm a newbie so sorry for the dumb questions.
It will be about a month before I fully move in and I'm not really using the water.
It's going to be cold this week in the Northeast.

• Is there anything special to do differently with a well vs public water?
• Can you let the faucets drip? (any issues with the pump or anything doing this?)
• Would it be best to just keep the water main turned off? If so, should the pump breaker also be turned off? I have a whole house filter system so there are two pipes diverted from the main which can also be turned off independently.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Twowaxhack]

Drain the system and blow it out with an air compressor or Keep the piping above 32F

 

[iyiyi]

Drain the system and blow it out with an air compressor or Keep the piping above 32F

Not really looking to fully winterize the plumbing as I may need to use water here and there.
Really just trying to get some pointers on what can be done to prevent frozen pipes (aside from fully winterizing).

New to this (especially wells) and just don't know if there is a downside to turning the water main off vs. leaving it on etc.

 

[Geofd]

Keep the heat at 68° all the time open cabinet doors with plumbing in them,when the cold snap is over never go below 64° when home or away (non cold snap)

 

[Twowaxhack]

Not really looking to fully winterize the plumbing as I may need to use water here and there.
Really just trying to get some pointers on what can be done to prevent frozen pipes (aside from fully winterizing).

New to this (especially wells) and just don't know if there is a downside to turning the water main off vs. leaving it on etc.

Keep the piping above 32 degrees.

Other than draining the piping, that’s all you can do.

 

[iyiyi]

Keep the piping above 32 degrees.

Other than draining the piping, that’s all you can do.

Thanks. What's the best course of action if the power goes out? Still working on getting a generator for the house

 

[three_jeeps]

As an extra precaution, I'd open the some of the bathroom sink & bath tub cold water faucets so they slowly drip.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Thanks. What's the best course of action if the power goes out? Still working on getting a generator for the house

Turn the water off and open every faucet to drain as much of the water as possible.

Attach a hose to a hose Bibb without backflow protection and use your lungs to physically blow water out of the piping. You would need to have another faucet open to allow you to blow.

Other than that…….pray.

 

[three_jeeps]

If the house is heated by gas-forced air furnace, it is very easy to add a receptacle to the side of the furnace to which an extension cord to a generator can be connected. All the furnace needs is power to run the blower + the control electronics. As a *very general* guideline, most gas-forced air furnaces (e.g. 100,000 BTU) consume approximately 500watts to 700 watts. This amount of power is easily supplied by a small generator (e.g. 1000watts). Anything greater than 1000w would have capacity to also run a fridge, lights, etc. You need to determine the maximum wattage load for your needs and get a generator that can supply 1.5 times that amount. For example, suppose furnace (600w) + fridge (300w) + 4 lights (100w ea) = 1300w * 1.5 = 1950 w. So any generator that can supply 1950w continuously would be sufficient. The 1.5 factor is used to account for inrush current when motors start. Although most generators will specify a peak power (current) to accommodate inrush power (currents), I like to have the inrush peak power as part of the rated capacity of the generator.
Google how to modify a gas furnace for an electric generator to see different ways to make the changes. (Some ways of doing this are safer than others. If you are unsure of how to do this, consult a professional).

 

[iyiyi]

If the house is heated by gas-forced air furnace, it is very easy to add a receptacle to the side of the furnace to which an extension cord to a generator can be connected. All the furnace needs is power to run the blower + the control electronics. As a *very general* guideline, most gas-forced air furnaces (e.g. 100,000 BTU) consume approximately 500watts to 700 watts. This amount of power is easily supplied by a small generator (e.g. 1000watts). Anything greater than 1000w would have capacity to also run a fridge, lights, etc. You need to determine the maximum wattage load for your needs and get a generator that can supply 1.5 times that amount. For example, suppose furnace (600w) + fridge (300w) + 4 lights (100w ea) = 1300w * 1.5 = 1950 w. So any generator that can supply 1950w continuously would be sufficient. The 1.5 factor is used to account for inrush current when motors start. Although most generators will specify a peak power (current) to accommodate inrush power (currents), I like to have the inrush peak power as part of the rated capacity of the generator.
Google how to modify a gas furnace for an electric generator to see different ways to make the changes. (Some ways of doing this are safer than others. If you are unsure of how to do this, consult a professional).

The house is heated by gas-forced air (propane) furnace, so I'll definitely look into that

 

[Twowaxhack]

The house is heated by gas-forced air (propane) furnace, so I'll definitely look into that

Just be careful and don’t backfeed electricity and Kill someone.

 

[iyiyi]

Does insulating any of the pipes ever make sense?

 

[iyiyi]

Just be careful and don’t backfeed electricity and Kill someone.

The house has a dedicated generator plug. I'm guessing that removes the risk of backfeeding? Also, if the furnace is plugged in directly to the generator with a lead cord, I'm assuming backfeeding is not possible, or am I wrong?

 

[Twowaxhack]

The house has a dedicated generator plug. I'm guessing that removes the risk of backfeeding? Also, if the furnace is plugged in directly to the generator with a lead cord, I'm assuming backfeeding is not possible, or am I wrong?

I can’t see it from here…….

You’ll have to make sure.

 

[user 32496]

The house has a dedicated generator plug. I'm guessing that removes the risk of backfeeding? Also, if the furnace is plugged in directly to the generator with a lead cord, I'm assuming backfeeding is not possible, or am I wrong?

The plug only connects the gen to your breaker panel. The plug does nothing to remove the risk of energizing the grid or energizing circuits you don't want to energize.

There has to be a transfer switch (either manual or automatic) or an interlock of some kind. If there is no transfer switch or interlock, then you better turn off the main breaker before energizing your generator. However, Electricians don't like not having some automatic or fool-proof way of isolating your system from the grid because it is easy to accidently energize the grid, which is dangerous for linemen.

A simple interlock is inexpensive and fairly easy to install. This is mine. I have to flip the main breaker to the off position before I can flip the generator breaker on.

You have to get the interlock that fits your panel. Like This

 

[Valveman]

Recently bought my first house. It has a well. I'm a newbie so sorry for the dumb questions.
It will be about a month before I fully move in and I'm not really using the water.
It's going to be cold this week in the Northeast.

• Is there anything special to do differently with a well vs public water?
• Can you let the faucets drip? (any issues with the pump or anything doing this?)
• Would it be best to just keep the water main turned off? If so, should the pump breaker also be turned off? I have a whole house filter system so there are two pipes diverted from the main which can also be turned off independently.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Hopefully you have a pitless adapter at the well? If so, all the pipe from the well to the house will be below the frost level, which is the only safe way to keep outside pipes from freezing. The pipe coming into the house as well as the pressure tank and fittings just need to be kept in a warm place warmer than 32 degrees.

There are also in well pressure tanks and pressure switches so everything can be kept below the frost level. But eventually the pipe has to come out of the ground and into the house, and these pipes will need to be kept warm.

Heat tapes are another good tool for areas where heat is not available.