Trigger Mike Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 I have a cabin by a pond. It actually is an old mill house the previous owner fixed up. On one side of the house a few inches below ground is water as in I planted a tree one time and brought up as much water as I did dirt. I have a water cut off under ground by the house. With the week of rain once you lift the lid to access the cut off it is nothing but water to the top. How cold would it have to get before that water freezes the pipes going into the house since the pipe is surrounded by water right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 The National Weather Service measures and publishes soil temp data. Look it up for your location. You're going have problems trying to shut that water off if it does freeze in the cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Here in New Hampshire, the planning is always for four feet. It is a maximum that is rarely hit more than once a winter near sea level. Likely more in the mountains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoken D Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Always depends where you live. Deserts of Arizona water line may be 1-2" below ground and the water lines run through walls or attic. Missouri you are safe at 36". Alaska, just chip up ice and melt it for your water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 For where you live I doubt the ground would freeze more than a couple of inches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-BAR #18287 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Google “frost line map”: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 A couple years ago I went out on some water main breaks here in Vermont and the frost down 5 feet+ under the roads, a bit less under the snow on the sides and yards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 1 hour ago, Trigger Mike said: I have a cabin by a pond. It actually is an old mill house the previous owner fixed up. On one side of the house a few inches below ground is water as in I planted a tree one time and brought up as much water as I did dirt. I have a water cut off under ground by the house. With the week of rain once you lift the lid to access the cut off it is nothing but water to the top. How cold would it have to get before that water freezes the pipes going into the house since the pipe is surrounded by water right now? How far below ground level are the lines? What is the cover made of? Can you sit a hay bale on top of the cover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 It has a plastic lid. It is snug to the house but a square bale could work. I keep some on hand for my goats. It us 6 inches, supposedly below the frost line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Ron Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Howdy, Maybe contact a nearby town and ask what depth they have water mains. Go a little deeper than that. That map seems like a good guide. 100 inches...wow. A good heavy layer of fallen leaves could help too. Best CR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 I hadn't thought of hay bales to sit on top. I had thought of a 5 gallon bucket but didn't figure it would help much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Sit a hay bale or two side by side over the top of it. They'll insulate it enough that it shouldn't freeze. Even as cold as it has been in TX, water lines a foot below ground haven't frozen unless it was at the meter box where the lines are fully exposed. All it takes to prevent that is 4 inches of fiber glass insulation or some old clothes in a plastic bag over the top of the lines to keep them from freezing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 Thank you to all. I like to think ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Gray, #36839 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Your local grave digger would know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Not a bad idea. Around here, 36 to 48 inches is a safe depth at the home. Main lines are quite a bit deeper. We insulted our unused water hook ups with roll fiber glass and plastic heavy duty trash bags. Then if we had them ,either a 5gal. bucket or one of the larger kitty litter pails. Even at that, we've had to replace ball valves due to freeze up. They would crack. All homes in this park have heat tapes with thermostats and foam wrap insulation on the above ground part of the hook up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 My above ground faucets for my goats I insulate with pipe wrap and leave the line to the waterer hooked up but put an empty 50 pound dog food bag over it with a 5 gallon bucket on top as well. Thus far it has worked. If Temps fall into the 20s I turn the water off so the water level goes below the valve to refill it during the night and turn it on the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Local plumber can tell you. County code. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 5 hours ago, J-BAR #18287 said: Google “frost line map”: But don’t go by it necessarily. It says 20-30” for my area. Local code says 36”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelve mile REB Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Nome, Alaska in 1901. 18feet 4" Daughters house Nome Alaska 2002, 18 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 4 hours ago, Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 said: We insulted our unused water hook ups with roll fiber glass... I read that four times, trying to make sense out of it. Then I decided otto did not know how to spell insulate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Alpo, probably MY typo, not otto's. He figured I was spelling insulted and left it that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 If you're expecting a hard freeze, just go outside and insult your water lines and you'll have no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Depends on what side of the house the lines are on also. North and East sides will freeze first and deeper than the sunny South or West sides. I've seen frost down to 5 feet on the east side of one of my buildings, broke the teeth off the backhoe bucket trying to dig up the water line. Moisture content of the soil is also a contributing factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 interestingly enough that frost table fails to take into consideration soil makeup - im in 42" area , just north of me is 60" [that map has to be the extremes] but a bit farther north of me the sand hold no moisture and you can lay footings about a foot down , id keep my pipes well insulated and deep tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 For a map whose scale is less than one inch per thousand miles, you can’t ask for a great degree of accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Creek,5759 Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Go to a Farm Store , buy a live stock heater put in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grass Range Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 6 feet to be sure. 8 feet to be certain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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