Well pump question

[CiscoKid]

I live in a rural area and rely on a well for my water. My well is 300 feet deep with the pump sitting at 270. My static water line is generally between 15 and 17 feet. In the case of a power failure, I do have a Generac for the house with a 500 gallon propane tank buried in a hill. My wife keeps asking me what happens when the power doesn't come back on and we run out of propane.

Saw this. https://www.apocalypsewellpumps.com/product-page/ak-pump-0-40


What do you guys think? Looks like you open your well head and cap it off with the pump.

 

[pmbug]

If I'm understanding this correctly, you would need to climb down 270 feet to the pump every time you wanted to manually pump some water?

That page says to pick a length 10' more than your SWL. If your SWL is 30', you need the 43' pump length which looks to be $425. How does that compare to the cost of installing a solar powered pump like you were exploring about half a year ago?

 

[CiscoKid]

If I'm understanding this correctly, you would need to climb down 270 feet to the pump every time you wanted to manually pump some water?

That page says to pick a length 10' more than your SWL. If your SWL is 30', you need the 43' pump length which looks to be $425. How does that compare to the cost of installing a solar powered pump like you were exploring about half a year ago?

I went down the solar rabbit hole as you say and learned a lot. Mostly, that it would be cheaper to just have a larger propane tank buried and keep it full. When you start wanting solar to operate a well pump, it's going to take quite an array and some hefty battery storage and inverter expenses. I was amazed at just how expensive it was going to be.

This is a hand pump that would be pulling water from, as you say, 43 feet down. This would be used in a no power at all scenario (Mad Max). Would water from near the top of my well be safe? Would I have to treat it or boil it?

 

[BeefJerky]

Install the hand pump. Test it out and get that water tested.

 

[CiscoKid]

Install the hand pump. Test it out and get that water tested.

You're probably right, but I hate to break the seal on the well head just for that. Won't know for sure unless I try it though.

 

[Ttazzman]

a lot to understand and unpack here ...so just going to make some individual points and statements to consider...we have a similar situation

#1 500g propane tank holds 400g full
#1a our 17kw home genny uses about 1.5g per hr at half load
#2 on generator a 5-10 min run will recharge your water system pressure tank
#3 a normal water pressure tank when full will provide many days of drinking water obviously less if water is used elsewhere (ours holds 80gal)(also your hot water heater will hold ~50gal)(and you can store water from each pump event)
#4 your well breaths so your "sealed" cap is not really sealed
#5 if your static water depth is 17' you shouldnt need much more than that depth for a drinking water supply, since you can only hand pump so fast, and your well should have recovery/flow statistics that in most cases out performs your hand pumping ability (ours recovers at over 25gal/min)
#6 water at the top of the well is of the same quality as the water at the bottom
#7 we usually once a year santitize our well/whole water system by removing cap and pouring in bleach
#8 there are many hand pump options so do some research
, obviously they are viable as hand pumps have been used for years
#9 hand pumping water sucks, you dont need a huge investment to put in a portable solar shallow pump setup its a big difference between a solar pump to shower with vs one to pull up some drinking water like a hand pump would do


we have springs on our property to draw water from in a emergency .....i am also considering drilling a remote well and putting in a solar pump for livestock watering

just some thoughts on a solar water pump vs a hand pump......it would not take much solar at all...IE one 12v battery and one portable panel, forget the inverter and use a 12v pump as your only talking a very few gallons a day to compete with a hand pump....this is talking about a seperate pump not a solar setup to run your already installed main pump(did a quick search on amazon for pumps found this 24v )

 

[CiscoKid]

a lot to understand and unpack here ...so just going to make some individual points and statements to consider...we have a similar situation

#1 500g propane tank holds 400g full
#1a our 17kw home genny uses about 1.5g per hr at half load
#2 on generator a 5-10 min run will recharge your water system pressure tank
#3 a normal water pressure tank when full will provide many days of drinking water obviously less if water is used elsewhere (ours holds 80gal)(also your hot water heater will hold ~50gal)(and you can store water from each pump event)
#4 your well breaths so your "sealed" cap is not really sealed
#5 if your static water depth is 17' you shouldnt need much more than that depth for a drinking water supply, since you can only hand pump so fast, and your well should have recovery/flow statistics that in most cases out performs your hand pumping ability (ours recovers at over 25gal/min)
#6 water at the top of the well is of the same quality as the water at the bottom
#7 we usually once a year santitize our well/whole water system by removing cap and pouring in bleach
#8 there are many hand pump options so do some research
, obviously they are viable as hand pumps have been used for years
#9 hand pumping water sucks, you dont need a huge investment to put in a portable solar shallow pump setup its a big difference between a solar pump to shower with vs one to pull up some drinking water like a hand pump would do


we have springs on our property to draw water from in a emergency .....i am also considering drilling a remote well and putting in a solar pump for livestock watering

just some thoughts on a solar water pump vs a hand pump......it would not take much solar at all...IE one 12v battery and one portable panel, forget the inverter and use a 12v pump as your only talking a very few gallons a day to compete with a hand pump....this is talking about a seperate pump not a solar setup to run your already installed main pump(did a quick search on amazon for pumps found this 24v )

Thanks for the detailed reply. Your point #6 is just what I wanted to hear. We have springs as well, but they're all down at the bottom of the hill. One feeds two ponds. Another winds through the woods until it eventually dumps into the Rappahannock River, one of our property lines.

I just need to get something that will pull water out of the well head so my wife will stop worrying about it. I tell her we could go a long time with the Generac if we only run it an hour a day - long enough for showers and to fill any drinking containers we might need. But she worries about what if we are without power for months. I tell her if that occurs, half or more of the entire population will die and where we get our drinking water will be the least of our concerns. She read a book by Kyle Mills called "Total Power" about terrorists taking out our power grid and now she's worrying about how we'll get through it.

I just need to get something that will pull the water, show her that it will pull the water, and then she can sleep easier knowing it is on a shelf in the basement.

I'll also look into going 24 volt solar while I'm at it. Trying to feed 120 volt AC down to that pump was turning into a nightmare. Most due to the start-up surge.

 

[Ttazzman]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Your point #6 is just what I wanted to hear. We have springs as well, but they're all down at the bottom of the hill. One feeds two ponds. Another winds through the woods until it eventually dumps into the Rappahannock River, one of our property lines.

I just need to get something that will pull water out of the well head so my wife will stop worrying about it. I tell her we could go a long time with the Generac if we only run it an hour a day - long enough for showers and to fill any drinking containers we might need. But she worries about what if we are without power for months. I tell her if that occurs, half or more of the entire population will die and where we get our drinking water will be the least of our concerns. She read a book by Kyle Mills called "Total Power" about terrorists taking out our power grid and now she's worrying about how we'll get through it.

I just need to get something that will pull the water, show her that it will pull the water, and then she can sleep easier knowing it is on a shelf in the basement.

I'll also look into going 24 volt solar while I'm at it. Trying to feed 120 volt AC down to that pump was turning into a nightmare. Most due to the start-up surge.

agree with everything you said...our springs and creek are all at lower elevations too......i wonder which would be harder ....hand pumping or carrying water LOL both do not sound like fun.....

i would probably rig up a wagon for the horses to carry water up the hill and run it thru a filter.........but also have a well drill and 24v solar pump in mind for livestock watering too...

were on the same page sir

 

[Ttazzman]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Your point #6 is just what I wanted to hear. We have springs as well, but they're all down at the bottom of the hill. One feeds two ponds. Another winds through the woods until it eventually dumps into the Rappahannock River, one of our property lines.

I just need to get something that will pull water out of the well head so my wife will stop worrying about it. I tell her we could go a long time with the Generac if we only run it an hour a day - long enough for showers and to fill any drinking containers we might need. But she worries about what if we are without power for months. I tell her if that occurs, half or more of the entire population will die and where we get our drinking water will be the least of our concerns. She read a book by Kyle Mills called "Total Power" about terrorists taking out our power grid and now she's worrying about how we'll get through it.

I just need to get something that will pull the water, show her that it will pull the water, and then she can sleep easier knowing it is on a shelf in the basement.

I'll also look into going 24 volt solar while I'm at it. Trying to feed 120 volt AC down to that pump was turning into a nightmare. Most due to the start-up surge.

i was digging around on amazon and saw this as a very cheap trial setup and thought i would share it

ECO-WORTHY Solar Well Pump Kit with Battery Backup, 12V Solar Water Pump + 120W Solar Panel Kit + 10Ah Battery for Well, Irrigation, Filling Water Tank-DELIVERY IN 2 PARCELS​

Visit the ECO-WORTHY Store
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 170 ratings

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$339.98$339.98