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Thread: Well/Pump question

  1. #1
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    Default Well/Pump question

    I hope my TOL friends can point me in the right direction on this:

    I am looking to purchase a hand pump for my well as a "just in case" back-up. I'm looking for something that I can just bolt on the well head in the yard and get water up from below. Other than the size/diameter of the well and the static depth, what else do I need to know before I go looking for one?

    Many thanks,

    Gabe

  2. #2
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    You already have the essential info. It may also be helpful to know the depth of your existing pump and the diameter of the pipe to it. That will establish how big a pipe you can fit for the hand pump and whether the new pump should be located above or below your existing pump. Inner and outer diameter of the casing will be useful if you need to get a new cap that will fit two pipes.


  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Archangel View Post
    I hope my TOL friends can point me in the right direction on this:

    I am looking to purchase a hand pump for my well as a "just in case" back-up. I'm looking for something that I can just bolt on the well head in the yard and get water up from below. Other than the size/diameter of the well and the static depth, what else do I need to know before I go looking for one?

    Many thanks,

    Gabe
    That is a great idea, and recommend it to all who have a well. Wish we had a well.

    You can google this for prices and variety. But.....

    They still make those hand pumps in cast iron like in the old days, and they make some new ones in stainless steel. IMHO if you are going for back up I would go with the cast iron. And you might be able to pick one up at an antique store. The reason is the price you pay for something to sit around until you need it. However, when you need it, it will be priceless.

    And remember the guts to go with it.

    Also bear in mind that at a 30 ft. well depth things change dramatically. You go from a "regular" well, to a "deep well". Then it goes from the handle sort of curving over into the top of the pump to a big long pole sticking out of the top that works up and down and the handle is attached to it.

    If you have a "bored" well it will probably go better than 30 ft. And most dug wells around here went 30-35 ft.

    Since you already have a working well, you probably already have this in place, but make sure. There will need to be an a hole in the well pipe to let the water drain off below the freeze line, so your pump doesn't freeze up in winter.

    Just as an aside. After looking at cost and convenience you might look at just making a "draw bucket" on a rope. For a bored well, you will obviously need a lot of rope, and it would be better for it to be all one piece. Get some PVC pipe slightly smaller than your well pipe. Put a cap on the bottom. Maybe put some weight in the bottom also. Make it long enough so you actually haul up enough water to make it worth the effort, but not so long it doesn't submerge. Put two holes in the upper end, to attach the rope. May want to just make a short loop and then attach the drawing rope to it.

    You can either draw by hand or make a windless, or use a pulley. They still make the old well pulleys. Has a hook on top. The pulley wheel is about a foot in dia. and the top of the pulley has a cover over it to keep the rope from jumping off.

    'Course you have to build a little something to attach all that to.

    And if you have a dug well, well get a galvanized hum maybe 1 gallon bucket instead of the PVC.

    The difference is cost and convenience, and that is something you will have to decide on.

    Hope that helps.
    Wise Men Still Seek Him

  4. #4
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    Much appreciated, gentlemen!

  5. #5
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    My wife has been insisting for some time that we obtain a deep well hand pump, and she's right. We're thinking of the Bison pump. Over ten years ago, during a dry spell, with farmers irrigating, our well went dry. I had them put the new well 300 feet deep to get below what most irrigators were drawing from. Our static level at that time was about 150 feet, though I haven't checked it since then. Anybody have opinions or experience with Bison or would you recommend others? Thanks

  6. #6
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    Well beyond my realm of expertise Dmatic but there's this ... for fair utilage:
    http://www.southernagrarian.com/biso...r-pump-review/

    "Where the Simple Pump is light weight and easy to work with, the Bison Pump is solid and very heavy duty. Everything about it is top quality and it is obvious that they spared no expense in making this the best hand pump available .... This is the kind of solid made-in-America craftsmanship that this country used to be famous for."

    O.W.


  7. #7
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    I'm very happy with my Simple Pump. I've had it more than ten years now. Power goes out here a lot and it is always ready.


  8. #8
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    Thanks, Oscar. We are leaning toward the Bison!

  9. #9
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    In my meanderings ran across this and thought it might be useful info:

    http://flojak.com/
    Wise Men Still Seek Him

  10. #10
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    Thanks, Cary!

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