Rural Water
- Thread starter richhodg66
- Start date
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Engineer loaf of C4 (1 kilogram) should be about right. Not much good here where we set on 2500' of basalt.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I recall people down in the Adirondacks buying building lots with views to kill for, but they'd have to drill way, way down to hit good water. 1500+ feet wasn't uncommon. But hey! They had the $$$ to buy the view and put up the 6 bedroom/4 bath "chalet", so I guess a few tens of thousands for a well is nothing to worry over.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
The guy came out and we put the new pump in. Good enough, plenty of water in the well, guess I didn't realize, but it's about 80 feet deep.
Looking at thing, seems the the pressure tank under the house is going bad, we'd had "surging" for a while, and he thinks this is the reason the other pump died prematurely, so new tank is happening next week. In the meantime, keeping that pump turned off when not in use.
Oddly, it has poured down rain the past 16 hours or so, not as bad here, but just east, it washed across a major roadway which isn't normally a flood zone.
This has gotten me to thinking and I am going to start some kind of rain catchment system. I eventually plan to start gardening when I retire from the work force and that will most definitely be a good skill set.
Looking at thing, seems the the pressure tank under the house is going bad, we'd had "surging" for a while, and he thinks this is the reason the other pump died prematurely, so new tank is happening next week. In the meantime, keeping that pump turned off when not in use.
Oddly, it has poured down rain the past 16 hours or so, not as bad here, but just east, it washed across a major roadway which isn't normally a flood zone.
This has gotten me to thinking and I am going to start some kind of rain catchment system. I eventually plan to start gardening when I retire from the work force and that will most definitely be a good skill set.
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
The pressure tank has a plastic bladder inside that separates the water from the air. When that bladder fails, the water slowly absorbs the air until there is no air space left inside the tank. When that happens, the pump cycles excessively.
The fix is a new pressure tank, not a bad job. That’s a good time to install a new pressure switch.
Sounds like you’re on the right path.
The fix is a new pressure tank, not a bad job. That’s a good time to install a new pressure switch.
Sounds like you’re on the right path.
Glaciers
Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Rich glad it was a relatively simple fix.
Had my well pump replaced 6 years ago. It lasted 36 years. The average in this country is between 20 and 25 years. Had to replace the down pipe twice. When the new pump was installed they use plastic Pex like pipe in one piece of a roll mount on the truck. My well is 210 feet deep. Thinking with the plastic pipe and new pump I’m set till the lights go out.
Had my well pump replaced 6 years ago. It lasted 36 years. The average in this country is between 20 and 25 years. Had to replace the down pipe twice. When the new pump was installed they use plastic Pex like pipe in one piece of a roll mount on the truck. My well is 210 feet deep. Thinking with the plastic pipe and new pump I’m set till the lights go out.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Well pump systems simply don't last forever, at least in my experience. I've replaced the barn pump and tank 3x in 27 years I believe. It's 100+ feet down, about 135' IIRC. Between hard water, the constant flow required to prevent freeze up in winter and the plain fact nothing last forever it's just life in the sticks!
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
Yeah, this one was probably four years old and it was a decent quality one. Guess I'll be more careful with this one.
smokeywolf
Well-Known Member
We got insanely lucky with our water. Our well is only 200 ft. deep. Water is apparently crystal clear with a little calcium and no visible iron. It's as clear before the filter as it is after. Part of the reason 2 of the 3 water heaters are 35 years old.
Because our geothermal is open loop it pulls its water from the well. So, the well pump is pumping nearly 100 times more water than with closed loop geothermal or no geothermal at all. Part of the water from the geothermal heat pump goes into a 30 gallon water heater that is not plugged in and acts only as a holding tank for pre-warmed water that is then sent to the household water heaters. The rest of the geothermal water is piped to 4 different locations: north garden, front lawn, berry patch, and the pond.
Well pump and pressure tank are now about 11 years old.
Shortly after we moved in I had a UV sterilizer put in the system and a RO unit for drinking water. Not long ago I replaced the old 10" x 2-1/2" household and geothermal water filter housings with 10" x 4-1/2".
Because our geothermal is open loop it pulls its water from the well. So, the well pump is pumping nearly 100 times more water than with closed loop geothermal or no geothermal at all. Part of the water from the geothermal heat pump goes into a 30 gallon water heater that is not plugged in and acts only as a holding tank for pre-warmed water that is then sent to the household water heaters. The rest of the geothermal water is piped to 4 different locations: north garden, front lawn, berry patch, and the pond.
Well pump and pressure tank are now about 11 years old.
Shortly after we moved in I had a UV sterilizer put in the system and a RO unit for drinking water. Not long ago I replaced the old 10" x 2-1/2" household and geothermal water filter housings with 10" x 4-1/2".
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RBHarter
West Central AR
Circa 1975 we put a well in for my grandparents. The well was the shallowest well in the immediate valley at just 265' it only had a normal 80' head but would occasionally drop as far as 120' . Drought, desert , light at up stream on the feed , and within sight of a diversion house on the LA aquaduct ..........okay Mt Whitney on a clear day , but the pipe line was plain as day 12 miles away .
It had a 1-1/2" 125 psi continuous duty irrigation pump on the end of 220' of steel pipe installed, or at least removed , 6' at a time in 2002 . The secret of it's long life aside from the pump being in 100-140' of water and completely over rated for the job was that it pumped free fall into an 1100 gallon tank and a shallow well pump fed the pressure tank with a 2-3# pressure head .
One pressure tank , 3 jet pumps , one lift pump , and 2 water heaters in 35 yr that my grands lived in the house .
I collect passive water in a half hearted way with a plastic 55 gallon drum 16" above ground level under the AC drain that feeds 2 more on the ground . It gives me about 300 gallons a month for the ducks chickens and goats the down side is that it's all but distilled water........but there very little in it to grow anything. It's free water that doesn't soak a place on the back wall anymore.
In the extreme you could go to a 3 stage windmill "Aeromotor" type and pump up to a reservoir 40-60 feet above the house that has a capacity of about 105-110% of your nominal daily consumption and only have to pull the pumps to replace the seals about every 10-15 yr . That would completely eliminate all of the electric pumps and pump as wind was available. With a 10-14 day gross surplus it wouldn't matter if there weren't any wind for a week or more .
It had a 1-1/2" 125 psi continuous duty irrigation pump on the end of 220' of steel pipe installed, or at least removed , 6' at a time in 2002 . The secret of it's long life aside from the pump being in 100-140' of water and completely over rated for the job was that it pumped free fall into an 1100 gallon tank and a shallow well pump fed the pressure tank with a 2-3# pressure head .
One pressure tank , 3 jet pumps , one lift pump , and 2 water heaters in 35 yr that my grands lived in the house .
I collect passive water in a half hearted way with a plastic 55 gallon drum 16" above ground level under the AC drain that feeds 2 more on the ground . It gives me about 300 gallons a month for the ducks chickens and goats the down side is that it's all but distilled water........but there very little in it to grow anything. It's free water that doesn't soak a place on the back wall anymore.
In the extreme you could go to a 3 stage windmill "Aeromotor" type and pump up to a reservoir 40-60 feet above the house that has a capacity of about 105-110% of your nominal daily consumption and only have to pull the pumps to replace the seals about every 10-15 yr . That would completely eliminate all of the electric pumps and pump as wind was available. With a 10-14 day gross surplus it wouldn't matter if there weren't any wind for a week or more .
Ian
Notorious member
Windmill leathers last about six months at capacity around here. They're lifting water 3-800 feet though, so as much as 350 PSI is on the standing valve. Brass cylinders last several re-leatherings, then it's pull pipe and replace. Lots of hills and lots of wind-powered, gravity-fed old tech still in operation in remote ranches. Throw a couple perch in the open storage tanks and they take care of most water quality problems. We had one of the few 16-foot Aermotors left in Texas just east of the KERV municipal airport, it had 43 joints of 3" pipe in the hole and had been used to irrigate an ancient farm. Last I saw it the wheel was hanging in tatters, a real shame.
Missionary
Well-Known Member
Good timely tread for us as east AZ will be were we look at the last stop.
Dow here we have 500 gallons in two tanks as the "city water" gets shut off on a regular basis. Solar water heater also for 31 years.
Dow here we have 500 gallons in two tanks as the "city water" gets shut off on a regular basis. Solar water heater also for 31 years.
Winelover
North Central Arkansas
My well is between 450-500 ft deep and it's more like a mud hole. Builder hired the well guy. I wouldn't use him again, after my five year warranty expired. I was in Detroit, when the well was drilled. Builder called me and said they were at a certain depth and still hadn't hit water. Asked what to do...........I said keep drilling. I knew my closest neighbor's well was around 600 ft. After ten feet they hit water and not the best. However, I wasn't aware of the quality, till I came down. They were dumping it down the hillside in hopes of clearing it up. Never happened. Cost me about $10K for the well and another $5K for Kinetico's industrial sized two tank water softener, two mud filters, and a separating tank before it even hits the aforementioned tanks. Right out of the well, the water is coffee with cream colored. After all the filtration, is good water. We have a lot of red clay and iron. My outside spigots aren't filtered. I use a air filter type unit to keep from clogging up the sprinkler. I dried out the residue and it's magnetic.
Between the well and the cap & fill septic............it ran me $26K before I even broke ground for the foundation. Better have pockets full of money if your going to build from scratch.
When we're in a drought, like last year, my well starves for water, if and when, I run the sprinkler in the food plot for the usual three hours in the Fall.
Between the well and the cap & fill septic............it ran me $26K before I even broke ground for the foundation. Better have pockets full of money if your going to build from scratch.
When we're in a drought, like last year, my well starves for water, if and when, I run the sprinkler in the food plot for the usual three hours in the Fall.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
Rain storm we had yesterday nearly filled a five gallon bucket I left out without even channeling any to it. I think it's time to start some kind of a catchment system. I will have a garden one day, best to start thinking about it now.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
I sure have the space for one now, just not the time, really. Honestly, between the venison I can take off this place and stuff I could grow, I could do a good part of my food supply. I just don't have the time or know how at the moment.
fiver
Well-Known Member
there's a few of us here that grow a lot of our own stuff.
we all use different methods to get there.
i have soil and water up the wazoo, but no growing season.
the others use a tiller or a shovel.
i refuse to do the tiller thing and suffer the agony and expense of not having to bend over to pull a weed or harvest a plant.
i give it up the other direction in building boxes, water systems, opening and closing covers, and hauling soil though.
we all use different methods to get there.
i have soil and water up the wazoo, but no growing season.
the others use a tiller or a shovel.
i refuse to do the tiller thing and suffer the agony and expense of not having to bend over to pull a weed or harvest a plant.
i give it up the other direction in building boxes, water systems, opening and closing covers, and hauling soil though.
JonB
Halcyon member
I use the tiller, In my part of MN, God does the rest, LOL.