OT seasonal water pump

A submersable pump will often be installed with a "pitless". this is an assembly set into the main well casing about 6' underground. Wiring keeps going up, water heads off horizonally to the tank and controls. Keeps things from freezing.

If you don't have one of these, the next best thing is a sharader valve (think tubeless tire valve) in the outlet water line BETWEEN the pump and the check valve. As long as there is water pressure, the thing holds pressure. As soon as you turn off the pump and drain the tank, the pressure goes negative, the valve opens and the top end of the submersible pump drains back through the pump. If you ahve a check valve (foot valve) at the bottom of the hole, it is likely that it leaks enough to drian back a few feet. Not real certain but it usually works.

I have a setup like this > heck, since so many other guys have asked about freezing pipes and whatnot i

"RoyJ" (clip) If you ahve a check valve

If you want to make certain, you could drill a little hole.

If a foot valve drans back its not working.... Don't drill a hole in it... Just dig a hole big enough and deep enough to put the pump and tank under ground... Then you don't need to worry about it...

Assuming the plumbing is on the surface, I would have a Tee on the top. To winterize, take off the plug on the top of the tee and stick a long thin copper tube in and give it a blast of compressed air. It should blast enough water out to eliminate worries about freezing.

Sucking the water out the tube would also work but is not as easy.

If I was rigging the well again, I'd put a tee right above the foot valve (or submersible pump) and run a small 1/4" or 3/8" poly tube up to the top of the wellhead with a Schrader valve. Place a drain valve at the pump inlet, and you can push some air in to displace the water above the frost line without disassembling everything.

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Back in the mid '50s my inlaws bought property for a summer place. This is in British Columbia, Canada where it can get fairly cold in winter. In the '60s they built a summer cabin on it and put in a well with a submersible pump. In the cabin was a pressure tank and the plumbing and fixtures. Each fall we shut down the system, drained the tank, appliances and pipes in the cabin. We then pressurised the tank to about 30psi with air. By spring the system had leaked down and we were advised to re pressurise it to 25psi before turning on.

My wife and I bought the place from them, built our retirement home and moved here in '95. That pump was still doing fine and went onto full time duty. In fact it worked until last year when it just plain wore out.

Ted

I think what I'd do is to place a tee in the discharge pipe below frost level. From the tee run a 1/4-3/8" vent line back to the top and terminate it with a ball valve or plug. In the line between the well and the pump install a schrader valve just before the tank shutoff. To winterize, drain the tank, close the shutoff, and open the valve on the tubing from the discharge tee. Then pressurize through the schrader until only air comes out of vent line. A small portable air tank should be all that's needed.