Freeze Proof in Winter?

[Ruralhideaway]

Wow I had no idea. I was thinking it was 3 feet or so. Now I want to move south even more than I already did.

 

[Birdinhand]

neat project! about how long do you get adequate heat out of a given compost mix? because you don't need a specific temp, no need for management the temp except that it must remain above freezing it looks a lot less fiddly than some of the other hot water compost systems I've heard of.

 

[NoNameHomestead]

I guess it depends on where you live as to how effective this method would be. I live in S.C.. Freezing temps aren't normal here, but in the last week or so, we've had to take extra measures to keep the chickens with plenty of water. I use a 2" pipe waterer with nipples and the only way to keep it from freezing is to remove the water at night. Luckily I put a clean out on the end so I can just unscrew that and let it drain.

 

[Howard E]

You will "burn" through a compost pile, just as you do a pile of firewood. There are only so many btu's of energy that are going to come from it. On a hot active pile, that you turn frequently, it may only be a week or two. But on something managed to go slower, it may "simmer" for a month or more. So this might be something you would want to be ready for and do prior to when you expect your worst temps. But that is also when it is active and heating.

The model I envision does not depend entirely on compost to keep it going. Something buried in or close to the soil line, and buried deep within compost and covered with a tarp may not freeze at all, except in the most severe conditions.

I went to the garden yesterday and found this:



What that is is a raised bed of well rotted (last winter) horse manure, covered by a foot or so of old rotting hay. We have not been above freezing for the past 10 days, with several nights of -5F and lower. Yet no more than a foot down, near the soil line, temps are nearly 40F.....about the same as my bucket heater is running.

So if you were to place a water supply like a 55 gallon drum down low, near the soil line, and bury it deep within a pile of compost (or better still, bury it within the side of a south facing hill, exposing only a small end cap of pvc pipe with horizontal nipples in it) it might well ride out some pretty severe stuff. That is the concept we used with the freeze proof concrete heaters.

Was searching around yesterday and ran across a reference where a guy buried an empty 55 gallon drum vertically, below the soil line, then placed a truck tire on the soil surface (insulation inside the tire), then placed a rubber water dish on top of the drum lid. Air within the drum was more or less a constant 50 degrees, which rose to the top of the drum where it heated the dish and kept the water open that way. A variation on a ground source heat system and also a variation on the cookie tin heater, except no electricity is required.

You might also be able to replace the water dish with a water bucket, with horizontal nipples in it, or water fount, then also wrap or cover the bucket with insulation?

Yet another variation on this, if you have a heated building adjacent to the coop or run, is to leave the water supply (water drum) inside the heated area, and only expose the end cap of the PVC pipe with nipples on it to the cold area where the birds are. Run it just through the wall to end at the surface, exposing only the end cap.

What some have already pointed out is what all of these so called "freeze proof" systems omit is at what temps they remain "freeze proof". What is freeze proof in Florida won't be in MN, WI or Alberta. So actual temps and duration of cold weather need to be mentioned and referenced so readers can evaluate how well they may work.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I think I'm going to pick up a sono tube and get going with the post hole digger. Tires I already have. So not much to risk and could end up with fermented feed that stays edible for more than ten minutes. The soil in the run, which is roofed and enclosed in clear roofing panels, isn't frozen except around the edges. Worth a try?

 

[tigger19687]

Good luck digging the frozen ground now

 

[Ruralhideaway]

True lol. But their run is a deeply bedded old horse stall, so there's like 15 inches of packed shavings under their bedding. Got a little frozen but still not bad.

 

[blackdog043]

Wow I had no idea. I was thinking it was 3 feet or so. Now I want to move south even more than I already did

Frost Line Penetration Map In The U.S.
http://www.hammerpedia.com/frost-line-map/