The well is only 20 ft. off the east end of the house. I like to install the polyethylene pipe and wire in a 4 in. conduit for a couple reasons. First, I can dig and bury the conduit when I have time and schedule the well company to come in later. If there’s ever a problem with the pipe or wire there’s no need to dig up the line. And with all the rocks in the area, it’s less likely that one that falls into the trench will damage the water pipe. There’s another reason that I’m speculating on – the conduit will permit air to circulate around the water line and keep it a shade warmer where it is above frost line.
I spent about 2 hours digging an L shaped trench from the footing (where the conduit Mat and I placed when he excavated for the foundation ended) to the well casing. I sloped the trench from the footing where the conduit exited about 2 ft down to a depth of about 6 ft at the casing.
I used 4 in. drain pipe as a conduit. At bends, I used 22 1/2 degree elbows to make it easier for the well pipe to be pulled through. I glued and taped all joints to make sure they didn’t separate during backfill.
Insulation Reduces the Chance for Freezing
Because the frost depth is about 3 1/2 ft. deep the trench closest to the house is at risk for freezing. In addition to the conduit helping to keep the water line warm I placed two layers of 2 in. thick EPS insulation. I used some scraps of foam saved from other jobs and covered an area about 3 ft wide over the conduit.
As a precaution I backfilled the conduit with about a foot of gravel before filling the rest of the trench with the backhoe. As I filled the trench close to the well casing, I stacked small rocks up to form an earth dam. This left a pit so the pump installer could install the pitless connector to the casing.
