water pump freezing?

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How many country dwellers run heat lamps and/or electric heaters in their pump houses all winter? It can get expesive but sometimes it's the only way to keep the pump from freezing. I built a cheapo gizmo that will only run the equipment when you need the heat. I got tired of unplugging each morning and turning back on each night. Even when the temps were up and down through the day the blasted thing kept running and hoggin the 'juice'. By using a simple house thermostat [mercury type], recepticle, switch, a/c relay and some misc parts you can have control over your energy hog. I'll send you details with pictures and diagrams for FREE!!!! Please send a LSAE with 2 stamps affixed to "Water", P.O. Box 82, Clay City Illinois. 62824 Free and without any cost or obligation. email for more info.

-- k.d.'hoot'gibson (hoot@wworld.com), January 26, 2000

Answers

Here in No. Westchester, NY. Which used to be cow/farm country, there are these great stone 'well houses', stone structures, incredibly built, smaller than a shed, some 2 'stories', most without roofs at this stage. They are considered 'artifacts', and cannot be torn down! Anyway to the point, the old guy up the street tells me that they lined the well houses with bales of hay, inside and out, to keep the pump from freezing. That hay was used up end of year, or as mulch. As needed. Electricty? Batteries? No such thing!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), January 26, 2000.

Hoot, I was about to rig up a light bulb with a thermostat, similar to your idea a while back, but then I heard about a gizmo which takes the place of the thermostat. It's a little three way plug, just like a "splitter" used to run several cords into one receptacle. I believe it's called a "heat plug" or something like that. You could check your local electrical supply store. Or e me if you can't find one.

Anyway, the thing only turns itself on when the temp gets cold. 40 degrees, I think. I use one to keep my solar water heater from freezing due to a snap cold front in the fall, in case I haven't drained it for the winter yet. Cheap insurance. You can either plug a light bulb into it, or heat tape, or whatever.

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), January 28, 2000.


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