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To: Twinkie

I also have a well, who did you get to made it also prep for manual...I have been thinking the same thing for my well. For me, when power goes out no water, when the grid went down for 3 weeks a few years back, water was the only thing I needed...used match to start gas stove and kerosene heater for the home. Did you do it yourself...my well is only about 35 foot deep. The pump has been replaced and the pipe and pump were pretty easy to bring up but I had a well man do it....


16 posted on 07/31/2011 10:20:50 PM PDT by goat granny
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To: goat granny
"For me, when power goes out no water,..."

You would need a backup power system comprised of a transfer switch (to separate the grid power circuit from your backup circuit), an inlet (like an outlet, but with prongs instead of socket holes), an outdoor safety switch, generator and cable to connect the generator to the inlet. ...to the best of my memory offhand, as I use that kind of system with no power grid hookup near here (and don't need the transfer switch, myself, but you would). ...needs proper wiring, including ground wire between all boxes not already connected to each other by metal conduit, and the well casing.

BTW, you could build a manual pump system for a well that shallow instead of what I explained. Mine's a deep well, so a manual pump system would be as expensive as what I installed here.

Hope that helps. I remember some good agricultural advice from you a while back and am still thankful.


27 posted on 07/31/2011 10:50:32 PM PDT by familyop ("Plan? There ain't no plan!" --Pigkiller, "Beyond Thunderdome")
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To: goat granny
I can tie a small container (styrofoam cup) to a string and lower it down the well pipe to scoop up water. It's a pain but it works in an emergency.
50 posted on 08/01/2011 7:20:04 AM PDT by bgill
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To: goat granny

Granny, there’s a new product almost ready for its formal launch, Flo-Jack. www.flojack.com It’s a manual pump that is easy to install alongside your other equipment, and not all that expensive.


83 posted on 08/01/2011 2:33:01 PM PDT by ChocChipCookie (Jonah is my patron saint.)
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To: goat granny

We recently had the original company that drilled the well out to replace some apparatus that had been on it for 25 years; so I reckon they did any alterations needed. Husband made a manual well-bucket (tube) from PVC Pipe that he could drop down into the well and draw out water. “Jerry Rigged” it so it would work; he’s handy that way. Couldn’t use a regular metal bucket, so the soft, smaller PVC Pipe is a better choice not to tear anything up down there. (I want to get one of those Bio-Sand water filters to use in a worst case scenario. We have sulfur water, and filter the fool out of it with modern filters; but those wouldn’t work in an emergency.) Our well is deep, and I’m glad for that. Quarries blasting out here broke open a sulfur vein into our well water table 24 yrs. ago; had good-tasting water at first. Tests don’t show anything nasty in well; just that sulfur is crummy tasting to me and nasty-feeling to bathe in. Twenty-five years it’s worked well for us with filtering.


86 posted on 08/01/2011 5:05:44 PM PDT by Twinkie (It's the STUPID SPENDING, Stupid!)
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To: goat granny

If you google “pedal powered pump” or “treadle pump” you can find hundreds of designs for homemade human-powered waterpumps, at least one of which should work for your needs.


100 posted on 08/01/2011 6:10:31 PM PDT by Ellendra (God feeds the birds of the air, but he doesn't throw it in their nests.)
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