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  Discussion on HEATING UNDERGROUND WATER PIPES. HELP!
Author Message
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Monday, Sep 11, 2006 - 12:51 pm:

I have a HUGE problem. In constructing our corrals, we have discovered that the ground is EXTREMELY rocky and we cannot run our water pipes below the freeze line and need to insulate them below ground level. I have searched this site, and scoured the internet but have been unable to find any information addressing this problem. I am concerned that running electric heating cable underground could cause a fire or somehow create a shock in the water supply.
Does anyone have any ideas?
8 of our horses arrive tomorrow so I guess I will be doing water with the hose for the immediate future.
Member:
Sully

Posted on Monday, Sep 11, 2006 - 11:34 pm:

You might check on how trailer houses heat their lines. Not sure if that will help, but its a place to look!
Sully
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 12, 2006 - 7:38 am:

I would not run regular pipe heating cable under the ground ilona as it is not designed for this use and my experience with it has been it occasionally but reliably fails and needs to be replaced. I have seen the recommendation that plastic be placed on top of a underground pipe to create barrier insulation but whether this would be of use in your situation I don't know. Your best solution will be following your local plumbers / building inspectors advice.

We ran into this problem in VA and the problem was with a particularly hard rock: we ran into pieces of quartz as bigger than a small car. Though it was not easy (the digging chain broke 3 times) a large tractor size ditch witch finally laid a few hundred feet of pipe.
DrO
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 12, 2006 - 7:40 am:

Use copper piping for your water lines. Put the heat trace over that, then the foam covers that you use to insulate your pipes with. Tape it on with black electrical tape. Then cover the whole works again with PVC pipe in a bigger diameter.

I am not sure, but you may have to dig a trench to lay the lines, and want sand and/or gravel laid down also. I am taking it you are putting them underground, just not very deep?

We have water lines that come up into our tackroom. My husband did the heat trace and foam wraps on all exposed pipe in the tackroom. We have a faucet in the tackroom, and outside in the barn aisle. Has not froze up on us. But is expensive to have on during the winter months.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 12, 2006 - 7:40 am:

Trailer Houses!?! I think they're called mobile homes these days, unless it's small and you only use it for camping.

At any rate, they use heat tapes for all the pipes above ground unless the home is set on a regular foundation.

I have seen ads for another type of pipe heater but I can't remember what is was called. Sorry. Maybe someone else knows. Seems like it looked like a small pipe or wire that ran next to the pipe or was inserted into the pipe?
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Sunday, Sep 17, 2006 - 6:43 pm:

Thank you everyone for your help....I will give feedback in winter and let you know how I'm getting water to the horses, hopefully it will be through the hydrants/faucets and not by hand because everything froze on me!

Dr. O, we have broken a huge tractor size ditch witch chain twice which was when I put in this thread...The only compensation is that we have great drainage...this used to be a river bed for the Bonito River. Now its just a big headache!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Sep 18, 2006 - 6:36 am:

You have one to go then before you break our record, what type stone are you dealing with as I thought our quartz was about as hard as it got.
DrO
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - 1:36 am:

Dr O, I have no idea what kind of rock it is other than it is VERY VERY hard. I will try to find out its mineral composition for you, and for me. Its not so much the size of the rocks, large as they are, as it is the density and inability to get much relief with clay/sand/soil. We are persisting and hope not to match your record. We have about 1,000 feet to dig total and are about half way now...who knew moving would be this challenging.
Member:
Alden

Posted on Monday, Sep 25, 2006 - 3:08 pm:

Ilona,

Our ground is very rocky also, some 4-6' around. I used a backhoe with a 2' bucket rather than a ditcher. When I encountered a big rock I just dug it out. It took awhile but I got the entire ditch down where I needed it.

Good day,
Alden
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 - 12:56 am:

Thanx Alden,
I may have to resort to that, we came to a hopeless dead stop after the 3rd chain broke.

Dr O,
I am going to speak to the local mineral society to see what the rock composition is, I'm at my wits end and we have just had our first frost so time is of the escence now.
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