Too Cold...

[BrokenolMarine]

Toward the end of the summer, Miss T and I had our Guy come out and put in a new Frost Free standpipe for the paddock/coop. He moved it outside the fence line so the cow and the donkey couldn't use it for a scratching post, and we put a concrete pad around the base so the bottom around the pipe didn't become a mud hole. The lines to the standpipe were buried well below the frost line, but we used the line the original owner had run from the well house. We should have been good. But the standpipe was Frozen This Morning.

new frost free stand pipe comp.jpg (214.12 KiB) Viewed 178 times

Last winter, the old standpipe had developed a leak about two feet from the coop and when we dug it up, we found the elbow had cracked. The original owner had only buried that line about 10" down and during a cold spell the line had frozen briefly and the aged pvc had not survived. The main line coming from the well house had been about 18" down and we expected to be fine, but the last three or four days, the temps have been in Single digits, with temps as low as four degrees, with wind chills causing the weathermen to say things like "Feels like -17." These temps are going to continue for a week, then it will rain for a good bit, a week or so. But the temps are supposed to hit the forties and fifties.

IF the lines have broken, we will have that guy come in and replace the line all the way from the well house to the standpipe and bury them at least 2' down. Don't want to have to haul water to the barn in four degree weather again.

(Yes, the gate is tied in place as the welder we contracted still hasn't shown up. The gate is hinged, but who can look at the pic and tell me what's wrong with the original owner's work on the gate hinges?)

[Hatchdog]

“ The gate is hinged, but who can look at the pic and tell me what's wrong with the original owner's work on the gate hinges?)”

The top pin is turned upwards, should be turned down. Can’t see the bottom pin as well but if it too is turned up the gate will lift off without much effort. The cow and donkey would have no problem knocking the gate off the hinges.

[BrokenolMarine]

“ The gate is hinged, but who can look at the pic and tell me what's wrong with the original owner's work on the gate hinges?)”

The top pin is turned upwards, should be turned down. Can’t see the bottom pin as well but if it too is turned up the gate will lift off without much effort. The cow and donkey would have no problem knocking the gate off the hinges.

Yup, and the donkey did just that scratching his big butt on the gate. Luckily they have it made in the pasture and neither of them left. When the gate fell, they both ran 100 mph down past the pond and up into the NORTH pasture... and stayed there. We have tried several times to get the welder out to weld a center pin in place facing DOWN, but no luck yet. We have other welding to do as well so it would be worth the trip. Two more gates to weld pins for, some welding on the tractor and several attachments. Then a pole across the creek for a crossing gate... but they are all so busy.

I am tempted to take a beginners welding class, but a friend told me that with my physical challenges it's not worth it for me. Get a list of all the welding and once I get someone out they can knock out all the task in a half day. (Cheaper than the class and renting a welder to do the job.)

[Ozarkwoodswalker]

If you are having a back hoe dig thevtrench why not have him put it 2.5 or three foot deep.. wont cost much more... the frost line is deeper under bare gravelvand soil than under sod... i had several thousand feet of water lines put into spreading water tanks to different pastures for my cattle and went deeper than the frist line for my area by a foot and after 25 years i have never regretted the over kill.

[BrokenolMarine]

If you are having a back hoe dig thevtrench why not have him put it 2.5 or three foot deep.. wont cost much more... the frost line is deeper under bare gravelvand soil than under sod... i had several thousand feet of water lines put into spreading water tanks to different pastures for my cattle and went deeper than the frist line for my area by a foot and after 25 years i have never regretted the over kill.

We will use a ditch witch to dig the water line trench, and will probably go as deep as possible. Good advice. At the stand pile we will come up as shallow as needed to mount the standpipe at a decent working height. WE are too dang old to be digging in frozen ground to stop a leak again. (Twice since we moved here... ) I don't want to be paying for these lines to be put in again.

I can't get down in the holes to do the work these days, and Miss Tina would, but of all the things she is great at... Plumbing isn't one of them. I love her to death, but she isn't good at everything... just MOST everything.

I'll pay plumbers because I don't like doing it anymore, never did.
I'll pay electricians because I worked on Aircraft electrical systems, I only did BASIC home electrical. Left the big stuff to pros.

[BrokenolMarine]

BTW, she put heat tape around the two standpipes, then the foam insulation jacket around them. They didn't freeze above ground.

[dave77]

Your standpipe is not the stop and waste type? Up here you can get them in different heights. Mine drains down to over 3 feet below ground when off and the valve is about at the same height as the one in your photo, no need for heat tape or insulation above ground.