In order for an autonomous source to work uninterruptedly at any time of the year, it is important to take care of high-quality insulation of the well and water supply in a private house for the winter. This can be done at the stage of construction of the system or already if it is available on the site.
Why do you need well insulation
It is necessary to insulate the source itself and the pipes going from it to the house for the following reasons:
- At subzero temperatures and an incorrectly arranged system, the water mirror in the well is covered with ice. As a result, the water column located above the soil freezing level is also prone to the formation of ice plugs. This leads to a difficult flow of fluid into the line.
- If ice plugs form, water pipes or casing can break, requiring further costly repairs.
- Equipment operating in icy conditions and high loads is fraught with failure. Rushing cranes, pump malfunction - all these are serious breakdowns. Especially in the winter.
More often, ice plugs are formed during irregular operation of a well with downtime. During these periods, the surface of the water column is already prone to crystallization. But even if the owners of the source do not expect downtime in the work of the water supply system, for the purpose of prevention, it is worth insulating all the external mains networks located above the level of soil freezing.
Insulation work is carried out from the point of entry of the pipeline into the house to the depth of the casing, which is already 20-30 cm below the level of soil freezing in a particular region.
Requirements for heaters
Insulating materials used when working with water supply networks must meet the following requirements:
- Good moisture resistance. Insulation that absorbs moisture will turn into an ice casing, which will crumble over time.
- No deformation under the influence of static and dynamic loads. Even calm soil periodically presses on the pipes of the system, increasing its mass under the influence of precipitation, a person's walking around the site.
- Low thermal conductivity.
- Minimal interest for rodents and other local animals. Small animals are able to gnaw on solid insulation, form tunnels in them in an attempt to get to warm pipes. Such cold bridges negate all the efforts of the master to insulate the system.
It is necessary to select insulating material depending on the budget of the master, the peculiarities of the temperature regime in the region.
Tools and materials
To properly insulate a well from the street, you need to prepare the following tools:
- roulette;
- construction tape and pencil;
- a hacksaw for cutting insulation;
- liquid nails, self-tapping screws for attaching sheets of material to the frame of the caisson;
- shovel.
Additionally, you should prepare the insulation itself. The most commonly used materials are:
- Glass wool or mineral wool. The cheapest options. They are prone to deformation and drink moisture. To use such heaters, you will have to create an additional protective durable casing over the materials. It is necessary to use cotton wool only in places where condensation or leaks are excluded. It is forbidden to use these types of heaters, provided that the groundwater is located on the site.
- Basalt fiber. Due to the foil coating, the material is considered convenient to work with, having good thermal insulation characteristics.
- Expanded polystyrene or polystyrene.Can be used as sheets or special cylinders. Both types of material are easy to cut, retain heat well, but are of interest to rodents. When using foam insulation, you need to make a special protective coating of cement and broken glass.
- Sprayed polyurethane foam. Easy to use. When using it, the water supply pipes must be laid on expanded clay bedding.
- Thermal paint. A liquid heat insulator is expensive, but it can be used to process the most inaccessible sections of the pipeline and equipment. If the paint is used on metal parts, it additionally acts as a corrosion protection.
A heating cable is a good solution. It maintains a stable line temperature even in severe frosts.
The main methods of insulation
- The pipe is dug to a depth below the level of freezing of the soil (by about 20-30 cm). This also applies to the Abyssinian well in the country, if it is operated in winter.
- The pipe is sheathed with a fine-mesh metal mesh.
- A strong casing is installed around the column so that a gap of 5-10 cm remains between it and the pipe.
- The selected insulation is poured / laid in the free space. He is not rammed.
In the upper part of the well, where the outlet hoses are already located, a tray is mounted under them. It must extend beyond the casing so that condensation or moisture flowing down the metal elements does not get onto the insulation.
Insulation of the caisson
The caisson is a containment chamber over the casing head. A hydraulic accumulator and automation for pumping equipment are installed here. The caisson protects the upper part of the well from precipitation and debris. In order for it to also serve as protection from the cold, it is important to insulate it around the entire perimeter. This can be done from the outside or from the inside of the camera. Regardless of the shape of the caisson (round, square, rectangular), it must be sheathed with insulation around the entire perimeter.
Insulation of the caisson can be done according to the principle of working with a casing - make another casing for the camera (internal or external). After installing it, the space between the two partitions is filled with insulation.
The caisson lid must be treated with heat-insulating paint or other materials convenient for the master.
Insulation of the pipeline
This part of the system is treated with great care, especially if the tubes lie above the level of soil freezing. The best option for insulation is cylindrical polystyrene foam shells, which are simply put on the main line. They are joined, the seams are coated with glue and pressed tightly for a while. It is important that the transverse joints of the insulation are offset relative to each other. Then there will be much less cold bridges.
Another way to insulate pipes is to use a heating cable. It is wound on the main line from the entrance to the house to the entry into the casing. Foil is pre-wound on the tubes. Then, using construction tape, a heating cable is attached in a spiral. The step of the turn should be the smaller, the larger the cross-section of the line. From above, the heating cable is covered with another layer of foil. Such a heater is included in the network with a stable drop in air temperature to -5 degrees.
If the pipe entering the house is laid below the level of 1 m, then its insulation is not required for southern and central Russia.
