frost

Equipment is best located in cavity wall built garages with sealed windows and doors or inside pump sheds, boiler houses or inside weather-proof Keter cabinets with padlocks fitted which will avoid the need for lagging of pipes or frost stats in over 99% of cases even with record -10C low temperatures.

Frost stats can be used to protect equipment at higher altitudes, or in less sheltered locations such as metal garages, wooden sheds or outbuildings with loose fitting doors or windows, or if wind chill temperatures drop below -10 to -15 degrees celcius, or when premises are vacated for prolonged periods.

We offer call outs to affected clients within 6 hours where systems are located as to our guidelines.  Frost stats with maximum 250 watt bulbs can be retrofitted to existing Keter cabinet installations by the customer.  Keep away from plastics.  (Double electrical sockets are fitted in all of our installations.)

**Due to equipment manufacturers' warranty exclusions with regard to frost and because of unpredictable weather conditions, we are unable to recommend any particular brand of frost stat.**   The effects of frost on any equipment are explicitly excluded from all equipment warranty cover.

Avoiding pipework, pump and equipment damage :

1)  Between zero and minus 5 degrees, households are unlikely to be affected by temporary frost even if short sections of hydrodare pipe are indirectly exposed to the elements as long as water is in regular use.  However, water pumps and water systems should be housed in sealed sheds, garages or enclosures with tight fitting doors and windows.

2)  For lower temperatures or for peace of mind in any conditions, a frost stat can be installed by the customer with a 150 / 250 watt bulb for small enclosures or 500 watt infrared bulbs for larger sheds and outbuildings.  In virtually all cases, up to minus 5 degrees and towards minus 10 degrees these should not be needed, except ...

a) well water that is sourced from exceptionally cold conditions below ground.

b) outbuildings with single block wall construction or those made from wood or metal.

c) outbuildings with loose fitting doors and windows or without doors and windows.

d) premises left unoccupied for several days.

e) premises in higher altitudes or those exposed to the elements in hilly areas.

(or a combination of some or all of the above.)

3)  For temperatures below minus 10 degrees or chill factors equal to or below these levels simulated by heavy winds, all considerations and factors which affect pipework and equipment should be met to ultimately avoid problems especially the points listed above.

Rather than leaving kitchen cold taps trickling overnight on cold spells below minus 5C to prevent shallow buried pipes from freezing, instead put the plug in a bath and run the bath cold tap at a rate of half a litre per minute.  Use the water collected in the bath to occasionally flush toilets as required.  Also program washing machines and dishwashers on time lapsed settings to wash during 12am to 2am or 4am to 6am (allow for the occasional backwashing of water softeners at 2am to 3.30am).

Houses collectively running their taps overnight on local water supplies in cold spells will heavily reduce the local water supply pressure - the indication of this may be seen by water levels in water softener salt bins rising to higher levels or overfilling, this is due to water softeners being unable to siphon water back out of brine tanks when water pressure becomes low.  Water treatment systems may temporarily lose effective capacity to operate within one or two hours when taps are left running heavily within a household.

**Garden taps or kitchen cold taps left fully running at up to 20 litres per minute in any 24 hour period can use up to 30,000 litres of wasted water which is equal to the average water use of 120 households, enough to equal the daily water use of many large villages or major city housing estates.  Many schemes have been shut down completely during the recent cold spell with reservoir levels heavily depleted caused by as low as one in ten houses running taps fully.

Equipment manufacturers have warranty exclusions when it comes to damage by frost, so try to avoid pump and water treatment system damage by following all our guidelines.  Insurance companies cover the damage caused by freezing temperatures so premiums should not be affected by minimal claims, however after the recent weather extremes and equity losses of insurance companies during the recession many insurance companies are forecasting to heavily increase premiums in the coming year.

Pricing for the supply and installation of new well water pumps can exceed 500 euros and call outs to rectify frost affected pipework or equipment can exceed 100 euros so do not delay in checking if all equipment and pipework is adequately protected throughout adverse weather conditions.

Galway Water Solutions operate a full 365 day call out service if required including Xmas day and New Years day for emergencies.

Call out urgency ratings

(Same day - call before 7pm)   =   Dislocated, severed or burst mains pipe feeds of GWS installed water treatment systems within premises (awkward access to shut off valve).

(Same day - call before noon)   =   Dislocated, severed or burst mains pipe feeds of GWS installed water treatment systems within premises (easy access to shut off valve).

(Same day - call before noon)   =   Dislocated, severed or burst mains pipe feeds of GWS installed water treatment systems outside premises.

(Same day - call before noon)   =   Interruption of mains supply caused by GWS installed softeners installed and operated within advisory guidelines and warranty terms.

(1 day or less response time)   =   Interruption of mains supply caused by GWS installed softeners operated outside usual advisory guidelines or warranty terms.

(2 days or less response time)   =   Interruption of mini filter dispenser tap caused by GWS installed cartridge type filter systems.

(4 days or less response time)   =   Interruption of mini filter dispenser tap caused by GWS installed filters operated outside advisory guidelines.  Chargeable callouts.

(4 days or less response time)   =   Warranty exclusions such as wrong salt, leaking toilets or low water pressure affecting GWS installed equipment.  Chargeable callouts.

(10 days or less response time)   =   Any issues affecting DIY supplied GWS equipment not installed by GWS trained installers.  Chargeable callouts.