El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-24
WATER TANKS.
How to Prevent Freezing-Keep the
Windmill Working.

How to Prevent Freezing-Keep the
| Windmill Working.
| In regard to the freezing of windmill
water tanks Il Pennsylvania CORE
spondent of Rural New Yorker main
| tainS that there will be no trouble in
| the very coolest weather, providing
the tank has some little capacity and
is kept well supplied with water. He
says: L have two tanks in my windmill
derrick, one above the other, 20 and 40
barrel capacity, and in many years use
/ have never been troubled as far as
freezing is concerned Last February
we had the coolest weather ever eX-
perienced here4O below ZerO-and the
tanks kept open. l believe the theory
of the nonfreeZing is that if the water
in the tank is frozen over when water
is drawn space of warmer air is
formed than the outside temperature;
then, when you set the windmill to
work, the temperature of the freshly
pumped water is such as soon to thaw
out the ice covering.
A New York farmer contributes his
opinion as follows in the same journal:
1 have had considerable experience
with water tanks. as 1 now have two
was put up in the fall of 1879 and is
doing as good work today as it did the
day it started. This mill was put up
for the purpose of furnishing water for
my winter stock and also to supply the
wants of my house from cellar to the
second floor of the house. OF course
my storage tank would have to be ele-
waited higher than the second floor in
I
placed n 40 barrel tank in the top of
my barn and pumped all water into
this, using only one pipe to do this
work. as a check valve is near the
pump in the WE'LL and ball faucets in
the drinking tanks used about the barn.
So you can readily see that all water
goes directly from the veil to the tank
in the top of the barn, excepting when
a pailful is drawn at the house while
the mill is pumping, as in that case it
would discharge at the lowest level.
In that early day of windmills 1 fear
ed that the tank would freeze, and,
thinking an ounce of prevention was
worth n pound of cure, I packed the
bottom of the tank at least one foot
high with sawdust and wound the re-
mainder with the best felt paper. The |
result was that my tank did not freeze, |
but began to leak in three years time. !
so much so that l replaced it with a /;
60 barrel tank without any protection /
whatever and have had no trouble from |
freezing. The secret of its not freeZ- !
ing is pumping directly from the well !
into the tank, causing agitation and Il /
constant change of the water The |
cause of the first tank decaying was !
the dampness confined just enough to ]
cause a mold, and not enough air could |
get in to dry it out. [
The greatest danger with freezing |
would be in the pipes from the pump to |
the tank. OF course Il certain amount |
of pipe must need protection. The wa
ter will stand still in all probability in |,
the coolest of weather, as in many in |
stances there will be a dead calm at
this time. 1 have been very successful |
in this also, never being troubled in the !
least with any of my piping after the
first year. l first put my pipes down /
according to direction four feet deep. !;
They caught and stopped n short time. !
took them all up and lowered them |
all five feet, and from the ground up !
through the barn to the tank 1 first |
made a tin casing around the pipe, |
making an air space from the ground |
to the tank. Then / wound the out !
side of this tin casing with building !;
paper several thicknesses. After this !!
being thoroughly done L packed with |
dry SawduSt at least six inches all /
around the pipe in box for this pur- !
pose. |.
All this great convenience needs now !
is to throw the wheel into the wind !
and keep the supply of water good. !
OF course I look it over every fall to ]
see that all is in proper shape with !
the sawdust as that VIII settle a little !
every year. Filling in at the top keeps !
all right.