In North West Montana, particularly in counties like Lincoln and Flathead, it is important to properly maintain your water well pump during the winter months. With recent cold weather, many families have experienced the inconvenience and stress of going without water for a day or more due to frozen lines. However, with a little bit of preparation and knowledge, these issues can often be prevented. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss steps you can take to maintain your water well pump and prevent your water lines from freezing, as well as what to do if you do experience frozen pipes. By following these tips, you can save yourself a lot of stress and money and ensure that you and your family have reliable water all winter long.
- Keep your yard hydrant well-insulated. This can be done by wrapping it in foam insulation or by using a hydrant cover. This will help to keep the water in the hydrant from freezing, even in very cold temperatures.
- Run water through the hydrant periodically. This will help to prevent the water in the hydrant from freezing, and will also help to keep the water line from freezing. You can do this by attaching a hose to the hydrant and letting the water run for a few minutes at a time. When done running the water, disconnect the hose and check that the water is draining down the yard hydrant and clear the water from the garden hose.
- Use heat tape to keep the water line from freezing. This is a special tape that generates heat when plugged in and can be wrapped around the water line to help keep it from freezing.
If your water line or hydrant does freeze, there are several methods you can use to safely de-thaw it:
- Use a hair dryer or heat gun to gently heat the frozen section of the pipe.
- Apply heat to the frozen section of the pipe using a heating pad or hot water bottles.
- Use a pipe thawing machine, which uses electricity to heat the pipe and melt the ice.
You can use some sort of enclosure to trap heat around the pipes. This can be done by covering the pipes with tarps, boxes, or other materials that will help to retain heat. Just be sure to take precautions to avoid the risk of fire, such as keeping flammable materials away from heat sources and using low-wattage heaters or heat tapes.
Often frozen water lines prevent the pressure switch from building up pressure and shutting off. When the pump runs, and there is a block in the flow of water this is called deadheading the pump. Deading a pump can result in burned-up pump motors, broken water lines, and higher electrical demand that can burn up pressure switches, control boxes, and electrical breakers.
To protect your well pump system from deadheading against frozen lines, you can discharge water through the yard hydrant. This will help to prevent the pump from being damaged by the increased pressure caused by the frozen lines. If it is impossible to discharge water through the hydrant, you should turn off your well pump and work on de-thawing the frozen line, periodically checking it to see if the water is flowing through the frozen pipes into the house.
In addition to these steps, there are a few simple maintenance tasks you can do to keep your water well in good working order:
- Check the pressure switch and pressure tank regularly to ensure that they are functioning properly.
- Test the water quality from your well to ensure that it is safe to drink. This can be done using a water test kit, which is available in Kalispell at Montana Environmental Labs.
When checking pressure switches, be on the lookout for any signs of electrical shorts, electrical burns, or damaged contacts. These can all indicate that the pressure switch is not functioning properly and may need to be replaced.
To check the pressure tank, you should first turn off the power to the system and then drain the system by opening a faucet or valve. Once the system is drained, you can check the air pressure setting by using a gauge to measure the pressure in the tank. It should be two pounds less than the turn-out pressure.
Pressure tank maintenance is important to ensure that your water well is functioning properly. To check the pressure tank, you should first drain the system as described above. Then, check the tank to make sure it is light and hollow when empty. If it is not, this could indicate that the tank is waterlogged or full of water, which could cause problems with the well pump. If you suspect that the pressure tank is bad, you can check for a solid thud when you tap on it, as this could indicate that the tank is full of water. You can also check to see for the pump running on and off rapidly or quicker than a minute between turning on and shutting off, as this could indicate that the pressure tank is not absorbing any water.
If you have any concerns about your pump system, call or text us at 406-800-1175.
Enjoy the winter snow and stay hydrated!