Insulated Well pump cover ideas???

recently had to have a new well pump installed including new piping at my mother in laws house. Previously the pump was down in the hole, so no pump cover or insulation was needed. Now the pump is exposed along with ~30 inches of PVC before going back underground. I am guessing I will still need to wrap the pipes but think I need to put some type of a cover over the entire thing???

reference slab is 33"x33" by 10" tall, pump/pipe is above slab 12" and where pipe goes back underground is about 8" from slab.

Looking for ideas ...

(this was supposed to be in the DIY area)

I wrapped my pvc with heat tape, then pipe wrap insulation. Then built a box with insulated panels on the inside and put it over well head when it was going to be below freezing. Just ran an extension cord for the heat tape.

Mine has been exposed for 45. Years. Never had a problem. The tank in inside my garage. I see that yours goes back in the garound after the L. This is the only outside exposed area goin into my garage. I have no idea what the second is for. I put spray fome from a can on the inside.



I wrapped the pipes coming out of my water softener. I had to remove some sheet in order to fit the water softener in. I didn't study about my outside pipes. I can easily turn them off on the winter.





Different strokes for different folks. Your water well man has done hundreds. I'd trust him opinion more I would trust a washed drug peddler.

yep, pressure tank is in the laundry room inside the house about 250+ feet away.

I was going to build something but my wife wants to just buy something premade, like the fiberglass fake looking rocks, but one that is big enough is pretty pricey to enclose the whole thing. The only issue with running the heat tape is then relying on tenants to plug it in when it will be below freezing (and remembering to unplug when its not).

Heat tape is controlled with its built-in thermostat. You can leave it plugged in

Had a similar issue with pump and PVC pipe. Recycled a metal stock tank as the cover after lining the interior with foam board. So far it's worked like a champ.

i would build a decent looking box around it with a lid and stuff it with insulation. would look look like a dog house. leave a faucet slow drip if there ever is a freeze warning

There is generally not a faucet between the well and the tank. Very little pressured in that area. Take a peek at the picture in the OP.

yes, I had thought about building something, either pressure treated wood or even welding up a square tubing metal frame with either siding or sheet metal, then insulated the interior walls/top ... wife says I don't have time for that plus using any type of wood products would just be a temporary fix due to rotting. She is also concerned about appearance, since it will be fairly viewable from the highway and front of the house area. Why she was thinking one of those fiberglass or pre-cast rock looking covers, but finding one large enough to cover that area is not a common size and would be fairly large (and stick out like a sore thumb to me, but my opinion is not the question) ...

I've seen it done with a large "Dogloo", and stuff it with insulation. There's also a thing, I've bought 2 or 3, called a freeze cube that you plug your lamp, heat-tape, etc. into, you plug it into an outlet, and it comes on at 40 degrees. I have one on in the home well/pump house. I've tried to catch it on, but haven't been able to, so I can't say whether it really works. I'm in an area that either never gets that cold in a winter, or, the bottom drops out for 3 or 4 days, every few years.

You could be like my neighbor and pitch a tent over the whole thing. And put a tarp over his son's convertible Mercedes. And...you can take 'em outa the west...oh, never mind.

You could go full redneck like we did at the deer lease. Took an old upright freezer and used a sawzall to cut the back out and remove all of the mechanism. Laid the open side down over the well head and it never froze. Had a handy lid (the old freezer door) that opened up if you needed to get to it. Rattlesnakes liked it in there during the summer because it stayed cool.

You can see it there in it's full glory through the open gate.

dang, an old chest type freezer with the bottom cut out sounds like a great idea, but I don't think they are made big enough with the slab being 33 inches square ... but then again, the wife would likely poo-poo the appearance.

wife came across large style dog houses that might work ... would just require closing in the opening and insulating. now to find one big enough that doesn't break the bank.

She also found a pump house at Ace Hardware that is normally used for swimming pool pumps but the assembly looks like a nightmare and hours of effort (which I might as well make it myself with square tubing and corrugated sheet iron).

I would forget about the swimming pool pump.

I did not have electrify until my house was finished. I ran a PVC from my neighbors house and hired the water well out after a year. I finished the job myself after the well man ran water to my new tank.

This is what we use on outside hydrants. When the temperature approaches freezing, the attachment starts dripping allowing water to flow so the pipes don't freeze. I've checked them during the night when the temperature was well below freezing and there was a steady drip. You screw it on like a water hose and turn the hydrant on and leave it turned on. It does not leak during above freezing temperatures. I found these at the local feed store. I bought one and tried it and it worked as advertised so I bought more. It doesn't replace a pump house but it works well on outside hydrants. We have one on a hydrant in our pump house and it worked all last winter.

For the win!!!!

i meant a faucet in the house. if pressure drops the pump comes on and the ground water warms the pipes.

no offense but let her do it.

after she did all her pricing and searching, she decided that we should build it ourselves. So that is on tap for this coming weekend after a home depot run this evening.

its all good now!!! yall can make it blend in with the landscape, no prob. paint rocks or weeds or grass on the sides, wont even see from a distance.

He's completely wrong, you know.

How does it get its pressure? The one for my pond goes directly to the pond. No pressure to speak of. Here are two pictures. There is a shutoff but no faucet going into the pressure tank.

That thing with the green handle in your bottom picture... is a faucet. And, why does that picture have an internet address across the bottom.

Look again. That green thing is the pipe leaving the pressure tank. I looked for stock pictures and this is what I found. I think you are attacking the messenger rather than the message.

Build a large "rock" using chicken wire and metal lathe for the form. Cover with a mix of concrete and perlite. The mix makes it lighter and will give it some insulation factor. Paint it to look like stone.

Form, make your form, soak burlap with the concrete and perlite mix and apply to the form. Apply several coats. Burlap sacks is HARD WORK, go to a cloth store like Jo Ann's and get a few yards. You want to cut it into pieces small enough to handle after soaking in concrete perlite mix.

Concrete Perlite Mix https://www.hunker.com/13425338/how-to-mix-perlite-and-cement

Paint https://www.hunker.com/13426001/how-to-paint-concrete-to-look-like-stone

I would also build in inconspicuous handles, so it can be moved easier. There are a lot of websites about the concrete and perlite mixes and about hp to paint rock looking concrete.

Another idea would be about the same, but make it look like and old hand dug water well. Round, with a little roof, pulley, and with a bucket. Use 2" foam board sheathing and cover it with metal lathe and the same concrete perlite mix.

Good suggestion DC. There was an old windmill on my lot when I built. One pipe ran to the pond. It had no pressure. A second pipe ran to a water tower. That`s how they got their water pressure.

Remember that the big pipe runs to the pressure source and the little pipe runs to the house just like the pictures that I found on the internet.

We had one of those fake plastic/ fiberglass rocks on hand and used it to cover our well head. Cut a notch to fit where the pipe comes out and wrapped the well head with some old insulation. Drilled a few holes in the concrete and used some anchors to secure the fake rock. Insulated and taped the exposed pipe.

[quote=bill oxner]Mine has been exposed for 45. Years. Never had a problem. The tank in inside my garage. I see that yours goes back in the garound after the L. This is the only outside exposed area goin into my garage. I have no idea what the second is for. I put spray fome from a can on the inside.



quote]


Figured out what the second PVC was for. Conduit to take the electricity to the wellheag

ok, finally back to post pictures. We made a run to HD, then got started on Friday afternoon and finished after dark Friday evening. The siding ended up being hardy siding, so considerably heavier than the pressed siding, so go my nephew to help with the unload and install. ended up with several hours labor and about $170 in materials (treated lumber, hardy siding, flashing, screws, sheet metal and 3/4 inch closed cell insulation) ... but it's done and should last a long time.

I ended up making the top separate for easier access by removing 4 screws and lifting off to in case the pump ever needed to be attended.

i would build a decent looking box around it with a lid and stuff it with insulation. would look look like a dog house. leave a faucet slow drip if there ever is a freeze warning
thank you!

I put softener salt in mine today. It only goes into the pipes that go inside.. I turn off the water to the outside. Never had a freeze.

There is no faucet between the well head and the pressure tank. Looks as if PMK has everything covered.

Here is mine.

I throw a tarp over mine, and put a 100w light bulb inside of it.