Buried Pipe,Aunts,and Freezing Temps.PLZ HELP.

[ben2go]

I have 3/4 inch black plastic pipe, the kind that comes in a roll, for my water connection from the house to the meter.It's 16 inches underground and we really don't have a frost line.Tonight I noticed that there are large ant mounds at both ends of the pipe,at the meter and foundation,with smaller mounds along where the pipe is buried.I walked the length of the buried pipe.The ground is soft and has sank up to six inches is some places from the ants tunneling around the pipe.I think they are looking for heat,well more than the ground temp.I can't tell that the pipe is leaking.My concern is the voids from the ants tunneling,freezing temps,and rain water freezing, causing the pipe to freeze and bust.We have been having some good rain lately and we have also had temps drop below freezing a few times this past week.I am worried that later on in the winter when we have rain,ice, and snow(usually all at the same time)that it will freeze down into the ground and cause the pipe to bust.Is my concern valid,and what should I do?I can't afford to bring in a load of dirt at this time and I have no place to get any.We've never had pipes to freeze in ground or under our houses,but all those air/water spaces make me concerned with freezing temps.

[Don_P]

I doubt there is much to worry about if you are that far down with no frost line. The settlement is probably not the ants (where did the dirt they tunnelled out go?) It's most likely just the trench settling and needing to be regraded. Leaves and lawn clippings have a pretty good R value if you are concerned and have access to some. I have frozen that type of pipe hard enough that it spat out an elbow, on two seperate occasions over 25 years. The pipe is still ok. I'm sure you can freeze and split it but it would take a serious freezing.

[Ernest T. Bass]

We have that black PE pipe for our water lines as well and have accidentally frozen them solid numerous times without damage.

[ben2go]

I doubt there is much to worry about if you are that far down with no frost line. The settlement is probably not the ants (where did the dirt they tunnelled out go?) It's most likely just the trench settling and needing to be regraded. Leaves and lawn clippings have a pretty good R value if you are concerned and have access to some. I have frozen that type of pipe hard enough that it spat out an elbow, on two seperate occasions over 25 years. The pipe is still ok. I'm sure you can freeze and split it but it would take a serious freezing.

The line has been in the ground for 30 years,so I don't think it's settling.The sunken places run out from the large ant mounds and the little mounds are where the soft spots are.I wish I had a camera to take pics.The largest mound is almost a foot tall and probably 18 inches round.The second biggest is almost 10 inches tall and  a foot around.The little ones,there's five,vary from 3 to six inches tall and about as round as they are tall.All this started happening a few days ago after we had rain.Tonight is the first time I noticed how big the mounds have gotten.Yesterday they were nearly ground level.I have been using the granuals to get rid of them but it has no affect.I am close to considering a K1 treatment but I live in a rather close in neighbor hood.

[glenn kangiser]

Yum.... chocolate covered ants....

Just a thought...

[ben2go]

I do need some better more natural protein.