• Static water level
• Yield (how many GPM your well can produce)
• Overall depth

This info is important to know when setting up an independent water system for your homestead. But unless you are the one who had the well drilled, you probably don't have a copy of the well log. So how can you find it?

While a few states make it very difficult to obtain a well log, most states have a large percentage of their well logs easily available online. Here are the relevant links and instructions for how to access a well log in all 50 states:

The post How To Find A Well Log In All 50 States appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

Just in case you don't know this, pressure tanks are also called bladder tanks or household diaphragm tanks.  And it probably needs to be replaced when your water pump is turning on more frequently than it used to.  That's what ours was doing.  The water pump would turn on after just 2 or 3 flushes of the toilet--now it only runs 2 or 3 times in the entire day!

Pressure Tank Theory For Beginners

Here's a little pressure tank theory for newbies.  If you are familiar with pressure tanks, just skip to the next section.

If you live in a rural area, chances are that your water source is a well with an electric pump.  While you'd like to have pressurized water 24/7, you don't want your pump to run 24/7.  That's where the pressure tank enters.  It keeps your water system pressurized when the water pump is not running.  Once you've used enough water to drop the water pressure before a certain threshold, the water pump turns on again and pumps the pressure back up.

Pressure Tank Size

The major factor when choosing a pressure tank is the size.  This can get a little confusing, so let me try to clarify this for you.

Typically, the total gallon capacity of the tank (if it was completely empty) is what is used for this.  But be aware that some companies will also publish what they call the "Equivalent To ___" and then there will be some high number like 120 gallons or so.  Don't be confused by that.  You are looking for the total volume of the tank, not the figure that is equivalent to an old galvanized pressure tank.

Our old tank was 40-50 gallons (it was so old, I'm not sure about the exact number).  The new tank we installed is an 86 gallon tank.

The other figure you'll see thrown around is the drawdown capacity.  This is the actual amount of water your tank can hold at the given pressure range you operate in.  For our 86 gallon tank, the actual drawdown capacity for our pressure range is around 30 gallons.  This means that once the tank is fully pressurized, I should be able to use 30 gallons before the water pump turns on again.

Why did we install such a large tank when the trend these days is to use a tiny pressure tank?  Here are a few reasons why I think large pressure tanks are a better idea for any rural homestead--especially if it's off the power grid...

Advantages of Large Pressure Tanks

• Easier on the water pump - The larger your pressure tank, the fewer times your pump has to turn on and off.  Typically, starting and stopping a lot is hard on a water pump, so a larger tank should be easier on it.  Bear in mind that it may be a little different if you are using one of the new variable speed pumps.
• Less power consumption - Every time a water pump starts, it requires a short surge of electricity to get it up and running.  If it uses 1,200 watts when cruising, it could take 3,000 watts (as an example) to get it started.  A larger pressure tank means there will be less starting and less surging.  This means a little less power usage.  And if you are off grid and using a small undersized inverter, large surges can be challenging if you have a bunch of other things on in your home.
• Emergency capacity during a power outage - This is especially important if you are connected to the power company.  During a blackout, your water pump loses power too, so the only water accessible to you is what is left in the pressure tank.  If your pressure tank is large, you have a better chance of making it through a short blackout without running out of water.

Bottom line?  Whenever you install a new pressure tank, put in the largest one you can afford/fit in the allotted space.

Brand

Unions on either side of pressure tank tee.

Perhaps the best-regarded brand in the industry is Well-X-Trol.  That would have been my first choice as I really appreciate quality and try to go with a quality option whenever possible.  But I also have to balance quality with price and weigh the cost against the benefit.  When I discovered that the full Well-X-Trol model was nearly 3 times the cost of the brand I was looking at, I decided to take a chance on Water Worker (which is the lower quality line made by Well-X-Trol).

As a backup plan, I made sure to install a union on either side of the tee where our pressure tank connects into the water system.  That way, if the Water Worker model doesn't last well, it will at least be easy to change out :-).

↓↓Comments or Questions On Pressure Tanks?↓↓

The post Off Grid Water Pressure Tanks appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

We use a modern wood cook stove to heat our home, cook & bake our food, and heat our water (Learn how we heat our water: Hot Water for FREE).  Can't imagine how we lived without it.  But then summer arrives...What then?  One could always cook with a propane or solar oven, but what about hot water?  This is an issue we just faced this last summer.  In this article we will look at the different options that are available.  We finally found and tested an inexpensive solution. It requires very little additional work to install and functions well during the times we need it most.

Propane Options

Standard propane water heater

The problem with heating hot water is that many homes are utilizing a standard 220 volt electric hot water heater that consumes massive amounts of electricity.  When you live off the grid, this is a problem.  It would require a massive renewable energy system that would be cost prohibitive for most people.  And there is no reason why one would need to use such a water heater.  There are many other options.

A standard propane water heater would work just fine, as long as one has propane (obviously!).  Better still would be a propane tankless (a.k.a. on-demand) water heater.  This would be a much more efficient option requiring significantly less propane.

But our goal is to become as independent as possible.  This means a water heater that is powered by something we don't have to buy.

So let's look at some truly independent options...

Solar Options

There are many options for solar water heaters that range from inexpensive home-made jobs to high-end state of the art commercial models.

The home-made options are typically not suited for use during times of the year when temperatures dip below freezing. You would need to winterized them before any threat of fall or winter weather arrives.  There are probably hundreds of variations that may be found on the internet. They range from coils of black plastic pipe on one's roof to coils of copper inside a box with outer glass cover (creating a greenhouse effect).  Some of these utilize a DC electric circulating pump. It pushes the heated water into a storage tank and bring fresh cool water into the heater.  This pump may be activated by a switch that is temperature controlled. But some are directly connected to a solar panel and only run when the sun is shining (precisely the same times that the water is being heated and needs to be circulated).

Evacuated tube solar water heater

Commercial units come in two main varieties--evacuated tube and flat panel.  Evacuated tube models are composed of numerous rows of glass tubes with another smaller tube inside each of the larger tubes.  A vacuum is pulled between each of the two tubes which greatly lessens the loss of heat to outside weather.  Water or an antifreeze solution is then circulated through the inner tubes.  The advantages of evacuated tubes lie in greater efficiency and less heat lost.  So they work quite well even during surprisingly cool temperatures.  However they are somewhat fragile and may not be as suited to areas with a great amount of snow and ice due to the potential for breakage from buildup.

Flat Panel Solar Heaters

Flat panel solar water heater

These heaters look much like solar electric panels but contain tiny water passages which enable a great amount of surface area to come in contact with the heat from the sun.  While not as efficient as evacuated tubes, flat panels still work very well and are certainly more rugged when faced with heavy snow and icy conditions.

Typically an antifreeze solution is circulated through the tubes or panels and the hot fluid is routed inside to a heat exchanger which transfers the heat of the fluid to the home's hot water.  There are some varieties of evacuated tube heaters that are called drain down systems, which do not require the use of antifreeze because the water drains away from exposed areas once the water cools off.  And just for the record, it is possible to set up a solar water heating system that doesn't require an electric circulating pump.  This would be called a thermosiphon system, operating on the principle that heat rises.

This was the type of system I was planning on installing for summertime use in our cabin.  The disadvantages would be the amount of work involved in installation, significant cost of commercial systems, and reliance on an electric circulating pump (unless it is set up as a thermosiphon system).  For us, being in a temporary location, I was hesitant to purchase and install the equipment and then be faced with tearing it out again in a year or two.

Our Final Solution

That brings us to the option we chose.  Our winters are cloudy with short days and it takes a substantial solar system to make any significant impact on power usage during the months of November, December, January, and sometimes even February.  Since we have a solar system that is appropriately sized, we have plenty of excess electricity during the long, hot, sunny days of summer.  Often our batteries are fully charged each day by noon or even before and that means we were wasting tons of power for the rest of the day.  What to do with all that wasted power?  Why not use it to heat water?  So that is what we did.

DC Heating Element in our Range Boiler

DC water heating element

I purchased a DC 12 volt water heating element that can burn either 30 or 60 amps (depending on how it is wired).  There is also a 24 volt model available.  Currently I have a water coil in the wood cook stove that is plumbed into a heavy duty range boiler tank and circulates without any electric pump as a thermosiphon system (read all about it here: Hot water for free--from the wood cook stove!).  It just so happens that there is an additional threaded port in the middle of the tank.  Our DC water heating element screwed right into that port.

I then purchased an inexpensive Schneider (used to be Xantrex) C-60 charge controller.  This unit may be operated either as a conventional charge controller (disconnecting the charging source from the batteries once the battery voltage reaches a certain threshold) or as a diversion load charge controller (once the batteries reach a certain threshold, any excess power is diverted to a diversion load and "burned off").  For applications using solar panels to charge the batteries, the conventional charge controller mode would be used.

Once the batteries are full and voltage reaches the set point, the charge controller disconnects the solar panels from the batteries.  But for our application, we will use the diversion load mode.  We have excess power that we want to burn off and that is exactly what a diversion load charge controller accomplishes.  The charge controller is connected to the battery bank by wiring it into our system's DC disconnect box, which adds the safety of breakers to the system.

Wiring

Wiring #2 wire to element

I then purchased 2 strands of 2 gauge copper wire to run from the charge controller to the water heating element.  The size of wire you use will depend on the distance to be covered, whether you wire the water heating element to run only one or both elements, and whether you use the 12 volt or 24 volt model.  If you are not familiar with properly sizing wire, have the company you buy your heating element from assist you.  Here is an online calculator.

Since there are two heating elements on this unit, it may be wired to run only one or both. This will consume roughly 30 amps or 60 amps respectively.  To use both elements, making them one 60 amps element, simply make sure that the connecting bar is connecting both elements together.  If just one is desired, simply remove the connecting bars and connect the electrical wires to one or the other element.  Our unit is set to run both elements for a maximum of 60 amps.

Charge Controller

Schneider C60 Charge Controller

Next we need to set the charge controller.  Since I still have my main charge controllers connected and operating with the system, I need my new diversion load controller to start diverting power to the water heater BEFORE my main charge controllers reach their threshold and begin disconnecting the solar panels from the batteries.  If this step is not taken, your diversion load controller will never divert power to the heating element.  This is something you will need to play with for a while, but eventually you will find a setting that works fairly consistently.

As the solar panels begin charging the batteries in the morning, our voltage begins to rise.  As the batteries become more and more charged, we approach the absorption set point.  This is the point at which our main charge controllers begin restricting power to our batteries and make sure the voltage does not rise above this set point.  For a 12 volt system this set point is often 14.8 volts (29.6 volts with a 24 volt system).  But since our diversion load controller is set to kick in at perhaps 0.1 or 0.2 volts lower than the main controllers, we divert all that power to the water heater.

If our solar panels are producing so much electricity that they are powering the water heater and still have more left, the voltage will continue to rise until it reached the set point of the main charge controllers and then they will begin restricting the flow of power into the batteries.  When properly set, all the controllers operate together harmoniously.

It Worked!

Be sure to close both valves shown on pipes #1 and #5

We have found this setup to work quite well in our climate.  There are only about 2 or 3 months during the summer when running the wood cook stove is uncomfortable.  During spring and fall, we can build a flash fire early in the morning to heat water and cook, without making the house too uncomfortable.  So our difficulty was during that 2 or 3 months of full summer weather.  In this area, that is also the time of year that is very sunny.

We have found that by the end of the day, we have half a tank of hot water if we reserve the hot water for showers alone. Of course that means little or no dish washing with the hot water.  The reason that only half the tank is heated is because of the location of the port on our range boiler tank.  It is located half way up, so everything from that point on up is heated.

Few Extra Notes

I insulated around the tank to help the hot water stay warm during the night.  However I must note that we do not have an abundance of hot water with this system.  But it is sufficient for the two of us. And I might add much better than the alternatives (taking a cold shower or heating up the house on a hot day).  It was also useful to close both valves on the wood cook stove's thermosiphon system.  This prevents a potential backwards flow of hot water, thus diluting the hot water in the top with the cool water in the bottom of the tank.  IMPORTANT - Be certain to open these valves before firing up the wood stove!!!  Failure to do this could result in the water coil exploding in side the firebox.

Improvements

Threaded port half way up range boiler tank

One improvement that could help this system to operate significantly better would be to custom order a range boiler with an extra port near the bottom.  This would enable the heating element to heat the entire tank. Mine only heats the top half.  And the reason I say an extra port, is that you could still have to option of installing a second heating element in the location mine is currently installed.  If you have a significant solar system (at least 2,000 watts), it is certainly possible to power two elements with surplus power on a sunny day.  Customization of the range boiler tank is available when ordered from Stoves & More. That's where I purchased mine.  My tank came with the standard configuration since I didn't know I needed a custom setup at the time. I also didn't realize it was possible to do so.

Installing good insulation on the range boiler tank would also help significantly.  I added some makeshift insulation for a while and this definitely helped, but permanent heat resistant insulation would be much better.

Both of these improvements could go a long ways toward providing more hot water. Which is nice for a larger family or one that uses more hot water than we do.  And while this system probably does not produce as much hot water as a good solar hot water system, it works and was a much easier installation.  Also it costed us far less than a solar hot water setup as well. That was because we already had the range boiler tank plumbed in.  So if you find yourself thinking of ways to use your extra power and need some hot water, give this a try!

The post How To Make Off Grid Hot Water in the Summer appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

As you use the water in your house, the diaphragm is under less and less tension, which means the pressure is going down. Once the pressure gets down to a certain PSI, the switch for the pressure pump turns the pump on and it builds up pressure again.

With any water system that uses a diaphragm tank, the larger the tank is, the better. Larger tanks enable you to go for a longer period of time in between the pump turning on. This is more efficient with electricity and can give more time to deal with mechanical problems that might arise. Tank sizes range on up to over 80 gallons (nominally).

For more details on how to choose the right tank for off grid use, visit Off Grid Water Pressure Tanks.

The post Household Diaphragm Tanks (Bladder Tanks) appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

• Should it be above-ground or underground?
• Should it be concrete or plastic?
• What size (capacity) should it be?

Above or Below?

First, unless you live in an area that absolutely will not have any deep freezes, it only makes sense to have an underground cistern. Also, UV rays will deteriorate plastic tanks that are above ground. And that is not to mention the risk of a tree falling on it, a tractor running into it, etc.

Plastic or Concrete?

A concrete cistern should last longer, but is more expensive and a lot more difficult to install. Underground, a plastic cistern should work just fine as long as you don’t drive anything heavy on top of it. Just be sure to buy an underground “water cistern” rather than a “septic tank.” The two are almost identical but there is one big difference – Water cisterns are constructed with food-grade plastic whereas septic tanks are made from non-food-grade plastic. Some may have health concerns regarding any plastic, so if that is the case and you don’t mind spending a little more for the best, then go with concrete.  We have even heard of concrete cisterns costing less than plastic ones, so it is worth checking into.

How Large?

Capacity is a very relative subject that depends on your water system and how much water you consume.  Here are a couple of examples…

Example 1: Solar Direct Pump - f you have a solar-direct water pump (i.e. no batteries or backup power) in your well, it is only pumping during daylight and only at maximum speed when it's sunny.  Because of that, you could have days (or perhaps even weeks) when little to no water is being pumped to your cistern.  And in that case, you would need a very large amount of water storage, capable of supplying you with water for as many days as necessary to carry you through the cloudy times.  This is especially true in locations where sunny weather is extremely dependable and is why I only recommend solar-direct pumps in incredibly sunny areas.

Example 2: Conventional Setup - On the other hand, if your water pump has access to power 24/7 and it just needs to keep up with your water usage, you could get by with a much smaller cistern (assuming the water source is producing enough water).

So your first step is to determine what your water usage will be during the hottest & driest time of year.  

Here is a simple calculator for getting you started with a rough idea of your average daily water usage. After you know this, it will be necessary to know what type of water system will be used. For applications where the water source is slow (low yield), a larger cistern that can hold several days of water is a good idea. That extra capacity enables you to handle times of higher demand (like irrigation) while allowing the collection of water from the slow source 24/7 so you can maximize the output of the well or spring.

Once again, if your water source is fast enough to replenish your cistern very quickly and is a very reliable source, then it might not be necessary to have as much capacity. Perhaps even just a day or two of storage would be adequate. But the larger your cistern is, the more “buffer time” you have to take care of mechanical problems or absorb times of high use. Consider it a one-time insurance policy.

From personal experience, we know that our family of 4 can easily live on 200 gallons a day for domestic use. This fits in with the conventional estimate of 50 gallons per person per day.

BUT PLEASE BEAR IN MIND…Once again, this is not taking irrigation for agriculture into account. That can be quite a consumer of water.  If you have a large orchard and garden to irrigate (as well as a lawn), you could use 2,000 gallons per day or more when it's hot and dry.  True, there are many ways to reduce irrigation water usage so that it's far less than typical.  We've done that successfully at times out of necessity, but it's better to plan on having more than enough.

Cistern Configurations

Cisterns range in size from 300 or so gal. to 1,700 or more gallons and can even be tied together in multiples if needed.  Food-grade plastic water cisterns can usually be ordered from farm/agricultural supply and major building supply stores. Be sure to specify above-ground or below-ground plastic cisterns when ordering, as they are engineered differently. Concrete cisterns usually can be purchased locally at concrete septic tank manufacturers and can be delivered to your building site.

The post Water Cisterns appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

• Whenever the pump manufacturer recommends a certain type or size of pipe, use that.
• In most cases, don't use a smaller pipe size than the dimensions of the outlet connector on the pump.
• Always use pipe that is strength rated higher than you ever anticipate needing.
• The longer the run of pipe, the more friction is built up, and the more likely you will need to step up to a larger pipe.
• The fewer the joints in your pipe, the fewer possible leaks and blowouts there will be (especially important for pipe that will be buried).
• Avoid using 90 degree or 45 degree "elbows" as much as possible. These add more constriction and friction to your pipe line. That means less flow and more work for your pump.
• When using a valve on your pipe, anytime having the maximum water flow is critical, be sure to use "gate valves" rather than "ball valves." While ball valves are easier and faster, they constrict the water volume more than one would think. This rule would especially apply to the intake line for a hydro unit or a ram pump.

Size of Pipe

This is an extremely variable topic. If at all possible, get advice from the company you bought the pump from or some one who is knowledgeable. Explain your system to them and see what they say. But as a general rule, as we stated above, use a size of pipe that is at least as large as the output on your pump. If the output on your ram pump is set up for a ¾ inch pipe, use at least a ¾ inch pipe.

Then there is the factor of length. As stated above in rule #4, the longer a pipeline is, the larger its diameter will need to be. Consult a plumber's handbook (usually available from Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears, local plumbing supply houses, etc.) or a knowledgeable professional for the exact size of pipe your system will require. For a hydroelectric unit, consult with the distributor for pipe dimensions. Pipe sizes come in quarter-inch fractions (1 inch, 1 ¼ inch, 1 ½ inch, etc.).

Type of Pipe

Traditionally, galvanized steel pipe was the most popular choice for residential water lines. But the advent of plastic pipes has dramatically changed that. Let's take a look at the different types of pipe and see what works where.

Polyethylene

Polyethylene pipe is the workhorse of many of our water system needs. It has the advantages of being flexible, inexpensive, rustproof, and it comes in 100 foot lengths (sometimes 500 feet). All this makes it ideal for the long underground supply lines that take water from our spring or creek to the cistern.

One downfall of "poly" pipe is that is does not have the strength of some other types of pipe. So, while poly pipe is ideal for long underground runs in fairly low pressure settings, it would not be the pipe of choice for connecting a well to a household diaphragm tank (although poly pipe with an adequate strength rating, could work). It is ideal for delivering water to your cistern from a ram pump, gasoline powered water pump, springhead, etc. Whenever installing "push-on" fittings on poly pipe, be sure to heat (but not melt) the area of pipe where the fitting will be installed to ensure a good, water tight seal once the fitting is clamped.

PVC & CPVC

PVC pipe that is "schedule 40" (strength rating) has the advantage of being rustproof and easy to handle along with the strength to handle pressure applications. It comes rigid in 10 and 20 foot lengths which makes it a possibility for use with a well pump or a handpump in a well. However, for very deep wells, PVC may or may not be recommended. It is important to have a VERY strong pipe when it is holding a pump 700 feet down in the ground. You do not want a pipe breaking there!

CPVC is not the same as PVC. While PVC is made for cold water pressure lines, CPVC can also handle hot water. Because of this, CPVC is more desirable than PVC for interior applications. While not as durable as copper interior pipes, it is easier to work with. And if your water is acidic, CPVC will not corrode like copper. There are some concerns, though, as to the health risks associated with using plastic water pipes.

Copper

In residential construction, copper pipe is generally only used for interior applications. It is more difficult to work with and expensive, but it is one of the longest lasting pipes that can be used in your house. However, copper is not recommended for use with water that is highly acidic. It could corrode. Use your own discretion.

Galvanized Steel

Galvanized steel pipe excels in uses such as a deep well and the drive pipe for a ram pump. It is very strong, not terribly expensive, and somewhat rust resistant. We do not recommend it for underground use (other than wells), though. It is generally accepted that plastic pipe is a much better route to go for residential underground use.

Pex

Pex is becoming increasingly popular due to its ease of installation (is flexible) and ability to withstand expansion from frozen pipes better than most pipe materials.

Stainless Steel

Usually cost prohibitive, the one application that stainless steel would be recommended for is connecting a thermosiphon hot water system to your wood cook stove.  Any plastic pipe (PVC, CPVC, Pex, etc) is not suitable for dealing with the level of heat produced with this type of hot water system.  Even with copper pipe, the temperature of pipes close to the stove can become incredibly hot if the stove is operated without water in the pipes (i.e. warming the cabin up before turning water on when returning home in the winter).

In that kind of scenario, the solder in the joints on copper pipe could potentially melt, meaning they would need to be re-soldered. This leaves threaded metal pipe on our list of potentials.  Galvanized steel pipe can work for a temporary setup or if you are on a tight budget, but can rust with time.  This is why stainless steel is the preferred pipe material for connecting a thermosiphon hot water system to a wood cook stove as well as for the water coil inside the stove.  For more info, see:  Hot water for free--from the wood cook stove!.

The post Water Pipes for Plumbing appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

Here's How

First, measure the height of your eye level (from the ground to your eye). Then start at the bottom end of your water source. Sight a level line and find where that line intersects the ground upstream. Have a second person mark that spot. Then stand at the marked spot and sight another line until it intersects the ground further upstream.

Repeat this, counting the number of times you repeat it, until you reach the highest point of your water source. Now multiply the number of times it took to reach the source by the height of your eye-level. The result is your rise or head (Example: eye-level is 5 feet 6 inches. It takes 6 sightings to reach the source. 5 feet 6 inches times 6 equals 33 feet of rise or head.)

It's just that simple! From here you can measure the flow of your water by reading this blog post: Water System Basics.

The post How to Measure Vertical Fall of Your Water Source appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

Water Usage

Here are some estimates of the typical water usage:

• Average Adult or Child = 50-100 gal./day
• Clothes Washing Machine = 30-50 gal./use
• Shower/Tub = 25-60 gal./use
• Toilet = 4-7 gal./use
  

(source: USDA Water Systems Handbook)

These are probably rather high estimates. But water is not something that you want to underestimate. One thing to decide when setting up your water system is, how conservative are you willing to be with water usage. The largest offender in water consumption is the irrigation of one's garden and lawn. While watering your lawn could be something you are willing to give up, a garden is very critical, and irrigation is key for good productivity. Information on low water consumption irrigation systems. If one is careful with water usage, the figures above can be improved upon. Using the minimum figures from the USDA, 3 adults would empty our 1,200 gal. cistern in approximately 4 days or less. In actuality, it usually lasts three of us 5 or 6 days. PLEASE BEAR IN MIND, though, that this is only domestic use. Irrigation for agriculture can be quite vital to success in many climates. Depending upon your needs and the climate you are in, this could take 2,000 gallons per day or more for an orchard, garden, and domestic use combined.  Please do not overlook this important consideration.  Water truly is "liquid gold"!

Conservation

Another topic to consider is how to conserve water. A few very simple ways that do not affect your lifestyle are switching to a conservative toilet, using a shower head that that yields a good shower with less water, and using a Staber Washing Machine. Also, making sure that the washing machine is on the "large load" setting only when it truly is a large load. And as mentioned above, low water consumption irrigation is very critical. That is where you can experience some major water savings.

Understanding the Gravity Principle in Dealing with Water (PSI)

This is the principle that makes a waterfall work. Let's assume that you were to hold a pipe vertically in the air. This pipe is 10 feet long. Now you hold your hand over the bottom end of the pipe to seal it. Then someone climbs up a ladder and fills the pipe with water. Taking our principle, let's figure out how much pressure has built up. For every 2 feet of rise (or "head"), .87 pounds per square inch (PSI) of pressure will be formed. So 10 feet of rise (or head) will form 4.35 PSI.

How to Measure Water Flow (or gallons per minute)

If your water source is small enough for this to be feasible, the easiest way to check for water flow is to divert the water into one small stream and catch it in a bucket of a known capacity (usually 5 gallons). Then keep track of how many times the creek fills the bucket in one minute. Now multiply this number by the capacity of your bucket (in gallons) to find out how many gallons per minute your water source yields (Example: the creek fills the bucket 2 times per minute. The bucket holds 5 gallons. 2 times 5 equals 10 gallons per minute.) If your creek is too large for this method to work, use the Weir method described on www.riferam.com under the "ram pumps" section on the "information requirements" page.

The post Your Homestead Water System 101 appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

The post Developing a Springhead appeared first on Sustainable Preparedness.

But we do realize that some of us might find ourselves in unexpected situations at a time when we may not be able to set up an excellent water system. Or perhaps the budget is super tight at the moment and you need to do the best you can without much money.  In such a situation, being able to improvise and set up a make-shift system that will enable you to get water out of a well could be a life-saving skill.

Although it would be far better to set up a good system if possible, it never hurts to have the knowledge of how to develop a quick and easy emergency method for getting water out of a well. And even if you do have an excellent water system set up for your well, it is very wise to have a back up. Things can go wrong. Something can break. Your submersible pump can fail. Your alternative energy system could go down. This is why we must have a back-up method of pumping water from our well.

In this article, you are going to learn about numerous options for getting water out of a well when you don't have power.

The "well bucket"

Starting with the simplest and least expensive possible solution. You may be familiar with a "well bucket".  It is basically a 3-5 foot pipe (usually +- 4 inches in diameter) with a check valve in the bottom and rope tied to the top. You let the well bucket down the casing in your well using the rope. When the bottom of the bucket hits water, the check valve open, allowing water to enter the bucket. Once the bucket has enough water in it, the bucket may be pulled up the well to the surface.  As this happens, the check valve closes, thus keeping the water in the bucket. Once out of the well, the water may be poured into a bucket and carried to your home or wherever you need it.

The well bucket is usually made out of PVC pipe, the check valve may be located at a hardware store or super store such as Home Depot, etc.  Be sure to find a flapper type check valve.  Ordinary check valves require a certain amount of pressure to open them and the amount of pressure exerted from the bucket resting on the water in the well may not be enough to open some of these standard valves.  But a flapper type check valve is very light weight and requires very little pressure to open. You can make your own very easily, but commercial versions of the well bucket may be found. One source is Lehman's, which sells a metal variety.

 So with this well bucket, if all else fails, you can still get water out of your well, right? Unfortunately it is not quite that simple with a small diameter (6") drilled well. Here is a bit of explanation so you understand what is going on here...

A Little Caveat

This caveat is referring to small diameter (6") drilled wells, not large diameter (i.e. 24" or 36") bored wells.  You see, right now, if your drilled well is in use, it has an electric pump of some sort in it. Unless it is a very shallow well, it probably has a submersible pump that sits near the bottom of the well and pushes water up through a pipe to almost the top of the well. Before it reaches the top, though, this pipe turns 90 degrees, exits the casing, and heads toward your home underground. The reason it exits the well several feet underground is so that the pipe will not freeze.

Depending on your climate, there will be guidelines for how deep water pipes must be buried. At that depth, the water pipe coming up from the submersible pump exits the well and heads toward your home underground. Now here is the problem. It is highly unlikely that a well bucket will be able to slide past all of the pipe and electrical wires coming up from the submersible pump.

So, in order to use your well bucket, the pump would have to be pulled out of the well. And if you have ever pulled a submersible pump before, you realize that it can be quite a job, perhaps even requiring some sort of mechanical device to hoist it (such as a boom or you could fabricate a tripod above the well and use a come-along). Then the pipe has to be cut or unscrewed (depending on what type of pipe) every so many feet so that you have manageable sections to deal with. Needless to say, it can be a big job if heavy pipe is used, and/or it is a deep well. Are there any solutions that don't require pulling the existing pump? Yes...

Home-made emergency hand pump

If your static water level is fairly shallow, you could even make your own emergency hand pump. Basically, in its simplest, most rudimentary form, this is a small PVC pipe with a foot valve (a one-way valve that allows water into the pipe but will not let it back out) on the bottom. The length of the pipe would be several feet longer than the depth to your static water level. All you do is let the pipe into the well and once the bottom reaches the water level, you forcefully push down on the pipe and pull up. And then you push down and pull up...and then you push down and pull up...and keep doing that until water starts coming out of the top of the pipe. When you forcefully push down, the foot valve allows water into the pipe.

Then when you lift the pipe it closes, keeping all of that water in the pipe. When you push down again, it allows evens more water in the pipe, raising the water level inside the pipe. As you continue doing this, the water level keep raising until water starts flowing out the top of the pipe, where there is a garden hose connected that allows the water to flow into a bucket. See picture for a sketch of the different parts required and where they go.

Deep Well Hand Pumps

A much better emergency backup would be a full-fledged hand pump such as the systems carried by Lehman's , The Simple Pump , and the Bison hand pump. These hand pumps fit along side your current pipe and wire in most wells, meaning that you would not have to pull your current submersible pump in order to install or use them. It is simply a necessity that every well have a backup hand pump!

Even if you have an independent system using an efficient submersible pump powered by solar panels or an alternative energy system. Every well needs a hand pump!  Most deep well hand pumps are reported to function with static water levels down to 200 (depending on how much energy you are willing to exert!). If your static water level is not terribly deep, your hand pump may even be able to not only push water out of the well, but also on up to a cistern where it can gravity flow into your home.  Some may even be able to pressurize a household diaphragm tank.  This, of course depends on which pump you use, how deep your static water level is, etc.

The Lehman's cast iron hand pump and the Bison stainless steel hand pump are both very stout and heavy-duty.  While the Bison pump is capable of pumping from static water levels as deep as 300 feet, the Lehmans is limited to 200' and is best suited for wells with shallower static water levels (perhaps 150' or less).

If your well's static water level is deeper than 150', your main options will be the Bison hand pump and the Simple Pump.  As mentioned earlier, the Bison Pump is a very sturdy pump, but the materials that the Simple Pump is constructed with are not as heavy-duty.  Both of these pumps are capable of pumping from a static water level of 300 feet!  The Simple Pump has the advantage of versatility.  A 12 volt DC motor may be used to motorize it with power from a battery bank or solar panels, and it may also be configured to pressurize the current diaphragm tank (pressure tank) in your house.

At the end of the day, water is a basic necessity of life.  Make sure you have redundancy and preferably a non-electric way to access it.

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