Replies

1. 
   DanH | Apr 27, 2005 09:18pm | #1

   For #1, call your local building permit office and ask. The depth of the frost line obviously varies depending on where you are.

   Re #2, there are a number of "tricks" that can be used to reduce the chance of freezing, of varying degrees of effectiveness and conformance with building codes. The simplest and one of the most effective is to excavate down to the level of the pipe (lowering it even more if possible), then cover the pipe first with 2-3 inches of compacted sand, then a piece of styrofoam at least 2" thick and a 18" wide. The idea is to insulate the pipe from above, but still allow heat from the ground below to reach the pipe.

   Heat tape is an option when all else fails, but is expensive to operate and failure prone. Sometimes just running the water at a low trickle is a better approach.

   For a cistern or shallow well it might make sense to have two pipes, running water one direction in one and then returning it to the well (in a slow trickle) in the other. This approach can run afoul of well safety regulations, however.

2. 
   Stuart | Apr 27, 2005 09:19pm | #2

   Probably the only good answer is the pipe needs to be below the frost line, whatever that is in your area. You can insulate the pipe but it won't do much good. You can put electric heat tape on it, but that's a lot of work and eventually the heat tape will go bad.

   This topic comes up fairly often, in fact there was a discussion just a week or two ago. http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=57146.1

   You can do a search and find many other similar discussions.

3. 
   Abm | Apr 27, 2005 09:21pm | #3

   Around here (Northern Michigan) we bury the water line between four to six feet with no problems, the deepest I've ever buried one was 8 feet because it ran directly under a gravel driveway at a farm with heavy machinery running over it all the time and it was kept completely clear of snow. I wouldn't use electrical tape because you can't tell if it's working or not.

4. 
   Shacko | Apr 27, 2005 11:07pm | #4

   Your best is to get the pipes down below the local frost line.  The other ideas will work, but the cost can be extremely high.Good luck.

5. 
   CapnMac | Apr 28, 2005 12:37am | #5

   First, welcome to BT, you'll notice that you can get all sorts of answers right away.

   Second, if you click on your 'builderbabe' in blue, you will see your profile.  In there you can place some helpful information like a general area where you are.  The "frost depth" here near 29º North in the middle of Texas is about 1-2 inches, maximum.  Up to Lubbock, it's deeper.  Off in Minnesota it can be 42" or more.  So, knowing the location can help us answer your questions.

   Thirdly, using all-caps is considered "shouting" online.  There are those who can be very offended at real or imagined violations of "nettiquette."  It's not a big thing to those who don't mind.

   What sort of pipe connects house to well?  What sort of distance is involved, and through what kind(s) of soil? 

   If the pipes froze while the house was vacant (because the house wasn't in normal use), then the fix may be to just fix any damaged pipe.  If they froze while in "normal" use, they we have to look at other things.  But, if it involves trenching 42" deep through ledge, it's a different answer.

   Hope that doesn't muddle things up too much.

   Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
6. 
   UncleDunc | Apr 28, 2005 01:21am | #6

   Click on the Advanced Search button near the top of the topic index frame on the left. In the Find Messages pull down menu, select "Using the boolean expression". In the text box, enter

   (freeze OR frost OR froze OR frozen) AND (pipe OR pipes) AND (insulate OR insulation)

   When I did this search just now, I got 105 matches. Many of them talk about how to do it right, and many others talk about what to do if the pipes freeze because you didn't do it right.