How to make sure that a barrel of water does not burst in the cold?
Almost all summer residents on the site have a large barrel filled with water. Water is actively used for watering the garden and vegetable garden in spring and summer. But when preparing for the winter with a barrel, difficulties can arise. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for frost not only garden plantings and buildings, but also a barrel of water.
Let me remind you from a physics course: when freezing, water changes its density and expands. When the temperature drops below zero, the water turns into a huge ice ball. From this, as a rule, the barrels burst.
It is clear that the water can simply be drained in advance. But for many, this is not an option. Someone is too lazy to do this. And someone else is planning the sowing season in winter and wants the water supply to be prepared in advance. My mother-in-law is one of those people. Therefore, she knows what to do in order not to drain the water, and to save the barrel itself from the rupture. I share with you her working methods.
What to do to prevent a barrel filled with water from bursting over the winter
1. Use bottles
What to do to prevent a barrel filled with water from bursting over the winter. Use bottles
The barrel bursts from the fact that the water turns into an ice block and with great force presses on the bottom and walls of the barrel. The ice expands, breaking the barrel. This can be fixed. You just need to shift the center of pressure. Here's how to do it. to the bottom and sides of the barrel. The ice expands, breaking the barrel. This can be fixed. You just need to shift the center of pressure. Here's how to do it.
This will require regular bottles. It is necessary to place the bottles in a barrel of water in such a way that the neck is above the water level and the bottom of the bottle is buried in the barrel. To do this, you need to tie some kind of load to the bottle.
2. Second bottom
You can fill bottles with water and line the bottom of the barrel with them. Or fill the bottom of the barrel with a thick layer of the stove. Thanks to this method, the center of pressure will move. The water will freeze and press on the bottom of the sand and bottles, not on the barrel. And the barrel will withstand the load of ice water.
3. Magic wand
This method is the most popular. I remember as a child I saw barrels with a log in every yard. But I could not understand why people do it. I realized this only when I myself became a summer resident. There is only one reason - I want to save the barrel.
A log is placed in a barrel. It can be either a log or a shovel handle, and even a whole shovel will do. The log is placed in the barrel at an angle. In this case, when freezing, the ice will seem to move along the log from the bottom up. This reduces the pressure on the barrel and the barrel remains intact.