Okay, so, the pump for my well is in this little shed outside, you know, a pump house. And it gets cold here in the winter, like, really cold. I needed a way to keep the pump house warm so the pipes and everything don’t freeze up. Trust me, dealing with frozen pipes is a nightmare you don’t wanna have. So, here’s what I did.
Finding a Solution
First, I thought, “Okay, maybe I just need to insulate the heck out of it.” I went and got some of that spray foam insulation, the closed-cell kind. I got it in the place and it was a big help! I noticed the temperature difference right away, it was really stable. But in the real cold days, like, I mean those days it is just so cold, I needed something more.
I started looking into these special heaters for wells, and they looked pretty good, but also pretty expensive. They are really just small heaters, but they wanted big bucks for them. I saw some folks talking about using heat tape or even just a light bulb, which seemed kinda sketchy to me. You want something reliable, right? You know those light bulbs that are always burning out, and we are always getting up to change them? Not gonna cut it for this one.
My Setup
Then I found this thing called a “freeze thermostat” – sounds fancy, but it’s just a thermostat that kicks in when it gets close to freezing. I got one of those and put it up on the outside of the pump house. This way, it’s reading the actual outside temperature, not just the temp inside.
Next, I got a simple clip-on light fixture, the kind you can clamp onto anything. I screwed in a red heat lamp bulb, the kind you see in like, chicken coops. I clipped that inside the pump house, plugged it into the freeze thermostat.
How it Worked
Here’s how it all came together: When the temperature outside drops below a certain point, the freeze thermostat turns on, which then powers the heat lamp. The heat lamp warms up the inside of the pump house just enough to keep things from freezing. Once it’s warm enough, the thermostat shuts off, and the heat lamp goes out. Simple as that!
This setup has been working like a charm for me. It’s reliable, doesn’t use a ton of electricity, and most importantly, my pipes haven’t frozen since. I used to worry every winter about this, but now I can sleep easy. Plus, it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg to put together. I’d say it’s a pretty solid solution if you’re dealing with a similar situation. I know I am happy with it, and I really wanted to share my success with all of you!
- Spray Foam Insulation: Started by really sealing up the pump house with closed-cell spray foam insulation.
- Freeze Thermostat: Installed a thermostat on the outside of the pump house to monitor the outside temperature.
- Heat Lamp: Used a clip-on light fixture with a red heat lamp bulb inside the pump house.
- Automatic Operation: The thermostat automatically turns the heat lamp on when it gets too cold and off when it’s warm enough.
Hope this helps someone out there! Stay warm!
