Warming wells with their own hands
A good well will provide water for the dacha, but it requires proper arrangement and insulation. This becomes relevant in those areas where the comfort of everyday life depends on such structures.
It is simpler to carry out well insulation with your own hands at the stage where communications are laid. If the finished structure is being insulated, it will have to be destroyed, which will require a lot of strength. Properly chosen material for insulation affects the quality of the functions performed by the well.
Natural materials
The use of scrap materials such as leaves, sawdust or straw will help save a lot. It is recommended to warm the well with these materials after the preparatory work. Do not forget that all natural materials are subject to decay, therefore they need protection.
Waterproofing materials
Glass wool and polystyrene are widely used for well insulation. Basalt wool with penoizol is not without popularity. These materials are widely used in regions with cold winters.
Insulation process
Around our well need to dig a deep enough trench. The width of such a pit should be at least 1.2–1.4 meters, with a depth of about 2 meters or more. Now you need to make a formwork, which looks like a wooden box. Inside it lay the insulation in the form of leaves or expanded clay. It is recommended to paint the formwork itself with high-quality paint that will protect the wood from moisture.
For the box, you can take and galvanized iron, which is wrapped in concrete rings. With this method of insulation you need to monitor the reliability of fixing the material. As in the previous version, the selected heater is poured into the formed voids. Well insulation must be done strictly following the advice of specialists, otherwise the result will not meet the expectations:
- The integrity of the well will allow you to maintain the correct thickness of the insulation, which must be at least 40 cm for any material.
- From the casing to the insulation layer, there should be a ventilation gap, which will play the role of a thermos, maintaining the temperature inside our structure at a certain level.
- Insulation layer should be at the level of freezing of the soil, but you need to prudently lower it below a few centimeters to provide some kind of reserve.
- It is recommended to fix them before weatherize casing.
Stages
The casing coming out of the source is insulated first. According to experts, it is best to initially wrap it with a mesh of plastic or metal, leaving a gap of 5-6 cm. This will help create a kind of casing, which must be filled with leaves or sawdust. Only then can the pipe be wrapped with waterproofing material.
Even high-quality insulation will not allow to avoid the construction of a cover that will protect the structure from rain and snow. Its size should correspond to the diameter of the casing.
Heater
This method is more expensive, but its effectiveness is higher. Such heaters are mounted near or inside wells. The fiberglass insulation cable is tightly wound around the casing. All components of this design must be carefully insulated. Moreover, protection against precipitation must be of high quality.
With proper cable laying, the heater can be installed inside the well. Equipment must have a certain capacity. For self-installation it will take a lot of knowledge and experience, so it is better to trust the professionals.
Alternative
An alternative option is to install a caisson structure. In fact, this is a pipe inserted into the ground, the lower part being below the level of its freezing, and the upper part protruding to the surface.
The walls of this design are additionally insulated, and the upper part is closed with a lid, which will prevent rodents and other objects from getting inside. The main advantage of this method of insulation is reliable sealing.
The installation of the caisson structure must be carried out in compliance with the main requirement - a person must fit inside and perform freely, with the necessary troubleshooting procedures.
Pipe insulation
The method of pipe insulation depends on their installation. Under the ground, these products must be wrapped with mineral wool and with roofing felt on top. The pipes laid above the soil are insulated with mineral wool and construction foil. In regions with severe frosts, it is necessary to hide pipe products in special boxes, wrapping them with expanded polystyrene.
As you can see, it is easy to insulate a well and you can do it alone. Even in a harsh winter, there will be water in your building, while the neighbors will not be able to get it from the well. Do not forget about the source shell, which will create an additional level of protection and block the path of garbage.
How did you solve the problem of warming a drinking well and pipes? What materials were used? Share your experience with our readers by leaving comments on the article.
Video
We recommend to watch the video about the arrangement of the well and the work on the insulation of the water source.