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Location northern British Columbia near Smithers BC. We recently bought this old log cabin and are fixing up. A few days ago we had an unprecedented cold front that brang temperatures ranging from -30 to -40 degrees celcius. We think our well intake line froze as it is located in a addition that is not well insulated. We had all house taps running over night and it froze. This is why we think it is intake pipe. The main line just goes straight through the floor to the almost non existant crawl space then to the ground. The first cold night it froze (-30 degrees celcius) but we had it going in the morning fairly quickly. The second day it got to -40 and we haven't been able to get it going again since that freeze. Day 4 now..... We replaced our well pump in august so we know the well pump is not dead. The pressure tank is reading zero pressure. We have 2 space heaters running in there and have tried the hairdryer as well. Today is minus 22. I am wondering what we can do in such extreme cold other than finding a steam wand, no plumbers are resonding since it is xmas holidays and we are also experiencingan extreme labour shortage here in the north. Sunday is supposed to be zero degrees so we hope to thaw it them. Note. Our well is 100 ft below ground with submersible pump. Were told it wont freeze there by plumbers...but who knows right !! All advice is appreciated. Thank you.

Fay Anders
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Anything underground won't freeze. Half a meter down, it takes days for the temperature to get through. By the time you're two meters below the ground, temperatures lag the seasons by more than three months. At ten meters, temperature is constant. Wells work the same way, though the depths are a bit lower since some heat escapes from the top.

I've had an intake pipe freeze before. You need to get heat directly on to the pipe so that it will start flowing again. Trying to heat the whole pump shed is a fool's errand unless it's insulated and sealed up. Buy heat tape and narrow rolls of fiberglass insulation. If you can't find heat tape locally right now, you can probably find old school incandescent rope light which will also work just fine. Run the heat tape along all the exposed pipework you can get to. Wrap it in fiberglass insulation. Tape all the seams. Fire up the heat tape. You'll have flowing water again soon.

KMJ
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  • Great advice. We dont have a well pump house though. The well is just a cap in the ground about 5 feet from house. It is a 100 foot deep well. – Fay Anders Dec 24 '22 at 00:10
  • It is quite unlikely that the pipe in your well or the ground is frozen. – KMJ Dec 24 '22 at 06:23
  • I agree. I thi k it is intake. Going to try agin today. It has warmed up to -10 degrees celcius! – Fay Anders Dec 24 '22 at 17:05
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In south east Michigan we have to be at least 42" deep by code for frost and we do not get as cold as you. I am assuming the pump is submerged in the well. Do not bet the pump is OK, deadheading it will destroy them or blow water lines. Check it has an overload system that should have tripped to save the pump is sized properly. If it is an inside pump it could have the seals fail as water lubricates them.

Gil
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