Water line depth in open pit?

mine is in a 6 inch well casing 3 foot deep, has never froze. Ive done it now......its 0 out.

Don't have that, but have experience with back-flow preventers on industrial water service (they have to be installed above ground here). Experience includes impromptu fountains and street/parking lot flooding turning quickly to ice rinks...
My suggestion is when you get around to insulating, think about where the heat is coming from that you're trying to keep in. The pipe only supplies heat if the water's running. I'd suggest insulating the lid & top 2-3' of walls (wherever your frost line is), leaving floor & lower walls open to supply a tiny amount of heat. Heat trace or an incandescent light bulb are options of course, but once in 10 years? I'd just keep a trouble light & extension cords around for the extreme cold events.
It's funny with water pipes, they'll come through one deep freeze okay & then freeze-up & bust in another on that isn't as cold. Many variables I guess.

I have a well house similar in size over my well casing with a steel cover. Bladder tank is in there also . It's not insulated and it has never froze in the 26 years I've been here. Had -33 last nite.
I suppose quite a bit of heat comes up the casing and the 3+ feet of snow we have insulates it also.

gzecc said:

My water (city water) comes into my property at the rear of my property. It enters an open cinder block pit 3'x3'x7'deep. The pipe is suspended about 1/2 way down. There is only an uninsulated steel cover on top of this pit. I am very surprised it has only frozen once (this morning @<10 deg) in the last 10 yrs. Anyone have any experience with these? I will insulate this in the future. Just surprised it doesn't freeze more often!

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As long as you keep that cover on tight it should stay at 50 degrees just like a root cellar does.
For extreme cold like this a couple bales of hay on top of the exposed to the air parts may have helped.
Or snow.

My vacation cabin has a water meter in a pit at the street. Froze twice in one season (about 10 years ago). Thawed it both times with a hair dryer; reaching in while laying on my belly.

Talked to old-timer next door and did the following:
Got big black garbage bag that had circumference larger than the pit (Put 2 bags side by side if your pit is wide).
Placed in pit with bottom of bag resting on meter.
Filled bag with Styrofoam packing peanuts (check to make sure they don't dissolve in water).
Sealed bag with tie and placed 8" plastic disposable dinner plate on top with message: "Please replace insulation bag after repair".
Have not had a problem since (knocking on wood).

This works if you have a remote above ground (hockey puck) reader and your guy doesn't need to open the cover to read the meter.
And if you have access to a Penta Head socket. Many pit covers have that 5 sided security bolt to keep YOU out of the meter pit.

"BILLB3" suggested straw bails which would be a good top cover, and usually available around Halloween.
But if you're frugal like me then a big pile of autumn leaves over the pit would probably work too.

If the pit gets water in it you need install a sump pump. The only time I personanly saw a pipe freeze in a pit was one with a poor seal on the lid on a below zero very windy day.

I'm curious as to what kind of valves or fittings are on your pipe or is it just a straight shot through the pit.

My water meter in a pit at the street froze this year. I was going to fill it up to the meter with saw dust. Might try a bag full of dry saw dust on top instead.

Sawdust would be too dense. That would be like insulation being flattened out. You want the small air gaps like in Styrofoam. My opinion.