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Thread: Well back up, Redundant system

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    In the Woods, NH
    Posts
    1,953

    Default Well back up, Redundant system

    One night this past week, we experienced quite a thunderstorm and the power went out at ~ 0300. I know this because my propane-powered generator kicked on as it does automatically and ran for an hour. Noisy, especially at early morning. It got me thinking as I sure couldn't go back to sleep, what if the power goes out permanently, or at least longer than an hour? What's my plan? Well, I came to realize, I ain't got one.

    I am pretty well backed up and supplied here already and have water reserves but my first line of supply for water is the well. I am not backed up with the well. The pump is powered by electricity and, after the propane runs out, what's my plan for bringing water up? It's ~ 130 feet deep so a hand pump is not going to work. I suppose I can think of installing a solar system to back up the generator, but I don't know the first thing about that.

    My near range plan is to go meet well a well contractor and pick his brain but I wanted to get some input from the associates and friends here on the Tree. What say you, TOL'ers? Any insights, suggestions, and experiences you care to pass along?

    Many thanks,

    Gabe

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    WA Coast
    Posts
    4,774

    Default

    How deep is your well and how wide is the casing? That pretty well determines your options. A hand pump of some sort is the premium solution. We have a Simple Pump, which has been great. I installed it myself in about two hours. Power goes out here a lot and it ensures that we can water the animals at least. Less expensive options include small valve-trapped buckets for casings that are wide enough and 120 volt shallow pumps that you can run on small generators. And, of course, with a big enough generator, you can run a submersible, but for long outages, fuel might be a problem.


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    N. Minn.
    Posts
    2,713

    Default

    I have a back-up pump that is installed in the summer and removed in the winter to avoid freezeup - it can be put back on quickly anytime it's needed. BUT my water level in the 90 foot well naturally rises to about 15 feet below surface, so a shallow well pump works fine. Have you checked to see how high the water comes up in your well? That's the working depth for a hand pump - not the depth of the well itself.

    Must say that I like the cistern idea for back-up water supply. Just that (like NH) it gets COLD here in winter. Would have to be buried deep and well insulated, or installed in a strongly structured attic. (Warm and gravity fed ++).

    Oh well, in my next house...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    9,737

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    14
    Archangel, 130 feet isn't that deep, what you need to know is what the static water level is, let's say your well is 130 feet, the static water level could be 30-40 feet, and a hand pump will easily pull that.

    Once you know what the static water level is,we can help with much more certainty.

    PS, they may have written the info on your pump controller, for example, mine is 680 feet deep, static water level is 300 feet, and my pump is set at 468 feet.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Central Florida
    Posts
    438

    Default

    When we were preparing for y2k we drilled a second well and went down 200 ft. We attached a deep well hand pump on it. But our water level then rose to 40 ft. Do you know how deep it is to water. Depth of well doesn't matter, its the depth to water. Our pump worked great and still going.

    Taz

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    In the Woods, NH
    Posts
    1,953

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    "Well", it's clear I have to find out some further information on my well. Thanks for the input, friends!



    ~Gabe

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    782

    Default

    In Wisconsin, we had a windmill, cistern, and jack pump for the well. We had a handle for the jack pump so that we could use it if the power were out and there was no wind. The man we bought the farm from said that he and his brother used to pump water for the horses by hand. They'd lead the horses up from the horse barn, and one would hold horses while the other pumped. He said that you didn't want to stop until you were done, because the well was 385' deep and the water level was 186' down.

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