Gilford Well has these water heater-lake water intake systems, and you can chat them up about it.
In November 1992, I purchased a 125' x 1 1/4" black poly tube with an inside heat wire, installed it myself, and it has worked happily ever after, to this day, with no problems. Is hard to believe but true! Made by some company called Hydro Tenax or something in Ontario, Canada; it uses 888-watt for 125', and installation requires just a small trench, about 3" wide and 3" deep is instructed, so it was not at all difficult to install what with the small ditching needed as opposed to a big ditch. Crossing the rocky embankment at the waters edge required moving rocks and threading the poly tube through a white pvc pipe to protect the poly tube from wind, waves, and rocks...... and replacing the rocks. Best to bury it so the black tube enters the lake under the water and under the ice as the surface ice can move just a little, and could damage the tube. The very low water level this year may make for a new problem
with the ice?
A house with no inside working water is no fun!
Supposedly, the type of 1 1/4" black poly tube used is able to survive a freeze-up and re-thaw without cracking what with the expansion of ice inside its' confined space, and this actually happened once when I forgot to turn on the breaker until the first week of January, one year.
My price at Gilford Well in 1992 for a big cardboard box with a 125' black poly tube, thermostat box, temperature sensor, and 125' internal wire was $1050 and it was money well spent.....plus it supplies all the plumbing water to my little cottage including watering the outside plants and shrubs. A foot valve and some other small plumbing items were also needed to complete the job, and it runs off a 1/2-hp shallow well pump with a 30-gal water tank located in the kitchen which is obviously heated all winter long.
I set the thermostat at about 34-degrees and it has a red light that comes on when in use, as it cycles on and off, depending outside daily temp.
For $200 I got a perfect condition, 18" wide, stainless steel Frigidaire dishwasher on Maine-Craigslist, reg price about $500?, and plan to install it before this month November is done.......so's it will be a lake water, no filter, dish washer ........ wish me luck with this project! While I do not drink the lake water, I do brush my teeth with it, and spit it out......