Battling That Winter Freeze

Every winter, our wellcare® Hotline receives calls from all over the country as soon as the deep freeze starts setting in. We thought it would be helpful to include tips for three common problems our callers face when winter comes calling:

Protect your wellhead from getting damaged by snow blowers
and plows.

Don’t pile anything around your well, including snow, and consider adding a fiberglass driveway marker to help with locating the well. Yes, we have had a few remarks on this one that plows shouldn’t be around the well to begin with, but believe it or not there are still older wells out there that are in a driveway, close to the driveway, or close to a road. 

Keep pipes from freezing in a flash.

If you don’t have insulation or foam pipe covers, use blankets, towels, or layers of newspaper. Use duct tape to secure. Cover with plastic to keep out moisture. Running water through the pipe, as cold as it is, will help to keep it from freezing.

Pipe already frozen?

If you have a pipe that is frozen, apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, or a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials).

If you have a pipe that bursts or any problems with your well, contact your plumber or well contractor as soon as possible. 

For more information on protecting your well this winter, contact your licensed well contractor (find a local contractor here), your plumber, the wellcare® Hotline at 888-395-1033, and read our Winterizing and De-winterizing Your Well information sheet.

This article is from our 2020 winter wellcare® Well Owners Network newsletter. To get tips for taking care of your well for each season, news about wells and well water, and updates regarding the water well industry sign up FREE.