Hey folks,

It's getting that time of year. It doesn't get much colder than about 15 degrees F. here in this area. I've got to run a water line above ground to the stalls behind the barn. I need to insulate them for obvious reasons but can't find a chart (if one exists) to tell me what I need to protect to what temp. I'm looking at a 1/2 to 3/4 inch plastic line and have the option of foam shafts about an inch thick to using rock wool or fiberglass insulation to wrap it. I also need to keep animals from ruining the insulation, so had the brainstorm of wrapping the pipe and running it through 4" PVC pipe (give me about 2-2 1/2 inches of insulation). Think this would keep me out of trouble? Another brainstorm I had (and need to open it up for a sanity check and/or fine tuning) is to use a small water heater tank (doesn't necessarily have to heat) and run the line to where I need it and from the tank and back to the tank with T's where valves are needed, and use a small circulation pump that either turns on at a certain temp or a timer every few minutes to keep the water from standing and freezing. I know that the smartest thing to do is to run the line in a ditch and use an underground shutoff, etc, etc...... But this is an afterthought and I have filled, levelled, and landscaped the area (got some big rocks in the way). Any advice would be really appreciated.

Dave