Will our pressure tanks freeze in a concrete well house?

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dori123

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Hi all:

We have a well in Missouri that serves about a dozen homes.

Our two 86-gallon pressure tanks have been in a cellar for 35 years (tanks are newer tho!). The cellar walls are cinder block and caving in. We are have bids for a) fixing the cellar or b) moving the pressure tanks above ground to a pre-made concrete well house and getting two new 44-gallon tanks.

Both options cost about the same but due to time constraints (we'd like to get 'r done within the month), we are leaning toward the well house.

We are all very nervous about the tanks or some part of that tank system freezing if we bring them above ground. They have never frozen where they are, but the cellar is in such bad shape, we don't think it's wise to wait until spring when we can fix it.

The weather can be bitter cold here and these homes are off by themselves in the woods; it is not uncommon for residents to be snowed in for a week (gravel roads don't get plowed).

The gentleman who gave us the bid on the well house claims the tanks won't freeze in the concrete well house but that just doesn't seem possible, given some of the ice storms we've had here. We are probably overly sensitive -- so here we are, seeking a sanity check from the forum.

What's been the collective experience of the forum with these? Should we be concerned? Are there any measures like heat tape, etc. we should take to minimize the risk? Or are we worrying over nothing? (I should mention the guy who is bidding also grew up in the area and is reputable.)

Thanks for any advice you can offer.
 

Valveman

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If it is air tight you will probably be alright unless it stays cold for a long time. Even then if you are using water everyday, the fresh water will be warmer when it comes up from the well. I would prefer something with insulation. A heater or heat tape work fine unless you are out of power for a few days, then only insulation can help. You are downsizing the pressure tanks to 50% of previous, which will cause twice as many pump cycles. You could add a Cycle Stop Valve so everybody would have constant pressure, which is much stronger for things like showers. With a CSV on 6 houses you could cut the tank size another 50% and just need one of those 44 gallon size tanks. This would make the well house even smaller, which may give you more options on construction materials.
 

dori123

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Some great ideas here. We will look into the CSVs.

Has anyone had success with a solar panel powering heat tape?
 

VAWellDriller

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I would have doubts about solar and making heat, unless money is no object. I do have experience with precast concrete buildings though; they are the standard here for public water systems. As far as VA weather, a 10x10 or 12x12 can easily be kept warm enough with a small 1500 watt milkhouse style heater....some of the fancier pump houses have small wall heaters.
 

Jadnashua

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Had you considered ICF (insulated concrete forms) for building the well house? You put in your foundation, then stack the foam blocks like legos, with rebar, then fill it with concrete. You'd need to cover the outside and inside, but the significant insulation and thermal mass of the concrete in the middle would mean it would not take much heat at all to keep the building above freezing. Yes, concrete blocks would be cheaper, but they have nearly no insulating factor. It could cost a couple of dollars or more a day to keep the thing above freezing, a lightbulb might be enough in an ICF structure. SOme reports I've seen say that it takes an average of 3-days for a structure built with them to see it equalize the temperature on the inside with that on the outside. That means that the building would tend to stay at the average daily temperature without needing any heat. Only when it got really cold for more than a few days would it be required.
 
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