<h1 class="subject">Is it OK to run my faucets on drip to prevent freezing pipes if I have a well?</h1>

My brother-in-law told me I should let my faucets drip since the weather is getting so cold now (9 degrees). I'm concerned if this will put too much strain on the pressure bladder, well pump or water softener. My pipes are in the attic because I am on a slab house. Our well is 70 feet down. We just bought this house last year and remodeled it. We also blew in extra insolation in the attic last year too.

I don't know if it's because the weather is getting so cold or if it's because we are keeping a constant drip, but when we turn on the faucets in the morning, at first, the water blows out kinda hard out of the faucet. Is that due to overuse of the baldder and well pump because we have the water on a constant drip to prevent pipes freezing or is it because of the cold weather?

Thanks!

The fact that you're on a slab is exactly the reason you should let your faucets drip. If a pipe breaks under that slab, you've got a huge mess on your hands. The steady trickle of water will not strain your well or your water softener. But if you don't do it and you get a frozen pipe, it will bust and as soon as it thaws you'll have a flood. I grew up in Northern Michigan, with a well, septic tank and water softener. The water trickled in the sinks all night long for half of the winter and we never had any problems.

BTW, that hard burst you're getting is because you have to bleed the lines. Turn the hot water on a little more hot than the cold, make sure all of the faucets in the house have a trickle, not just a drip, and when you turn on the water, turn up the cold first, then increase the hot. Sounds complicated, but just think of the physics of it...the hot water pipe is next to the cold water pipe. Running it all night keeps the pipes warmer, so when you turn up the water first thing, increase it in the cold so that you don't get a scald. The "bleed" is when you do this and bring down the pressure behind the faucet.

Listen to your brother in law.

Is the cause of the water blowing out kinda hard in the morning, because there is some ice build up in the lines. Suggest you open one of the valves to a faster drip, and notice if the blowing kind of hard still exist. You did not say where your water heater is located, if you have hot water lines in your ceiling, be sure and crack the hot water valves. They will freeze before the cold.

Dripping won't hurt it but it sounds like so much insulation has made your attic to cold,put a vent up there and let in some heat from the house,you might want to think about a high pressure switch put on your water system,with this it won't let it build up to much pressure in the bladder and there cheap