Simple Water Questionnaire....

YoungOne · #1 03/13/08, 09:06 AM

Simple question for the board. How do you get your water? I'm actualy killing two birds with one stone by finding out how many provide there own and also finding out what different technologies are employed.

These are the main water supply methods in rural/semi-rural America but if I missed one let me know, as a Hydrogeologist have have an interest for the knoledge.

Definitions (Simplified)-
City Supply - your water passes through a meter as it enters your property and you pay a monthly "water bill"
Haul or Delivery - There is no water in your area or you just don't have a well and you pay to have a water truck fill your tank or haul water yourself
PW - Private Well
PW/Submersible - Induction bowls and electric motor are at the end of the pipe IN THE WATER, nothing but pipe at surface
PW/Jet Pump(Suction) - Only pipe in the well, the pump is at the surface and sucks water out of the well
PW/Turbine - Induction bowls are attached to a motor at the surface by smaller pipe inside of your column pipe
PW/Jack Pump - Could be a hand pump or a windmill but the premiss is that an up/down motion lifts water to the surface

**Cabin Fever** · #2 03/13/08, 09:50 AM

We have two wells:
PW/Submersible
PW/Jack pump

BobDFL · #3 03/13/08, 09:58 AM

We currently have a PW/Jet Pump but will be adding a PW/Submersible when the new house is done.

We will keep the PW/Jet Pump since it is also connected to the barn, the livestock waterers, the shed, and will be used as a backup watering system for the vegetable gardens (primary will be rain barrels). While the PW/Submersible will be the main source for the house.

littlebitfarm · #4 03/13/08, 10:04 AM

I have a well with a submersible pump but don't use it. I use a cistern fed by rainwater for all my water.

Kathie

THETOOLMAN · #5 03/13/08, 10:07 AM

I have a pw/ submersable &
one that isn't hooked up (just in case)

Rick · #6 03/13/08, 10:12 AM

We have had a fine well drilled - fed by 2 veins, and fills up at 48 gallons per minute. Late Fall rain, and short days and cold aborted completing the instillation.

Right now we are using rain water by boiling it for dishes, heating it for bathing, and filtering it through ceramic filters for drinking (with culligan treated water from the Wal-mart as a supplement).

Sorry I can't use your system of initials, but we currently fall through the cracks, as I am sure many other Americans do.

Rick · #7 03/13/08, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlebitfarm

I have a well with a submersible pump but don't use it. I use a cistern fed by rainwater for all my water.

Kathie

Go rainwater!

What do you do for drinking water, Kathy?

littlebitfarm · #8 03/13/08, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

Go rainwater!

What do you do for drinking water, Kathy?

I use my cistern! Run it through a 20 micron and a 5 micron filter and then through a UV light and then a carbon filter.

Kathie

katlupe · #9 03/13/08, 10:31 AM

PW/Jack Pump (hand pump)

katlupe

Rick · #10 03/13/08, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlebitfarm

I use my cistern! Run it through a 20 micron and a 5 micron filter and then through a UV light and then a carbon filter.

Kathie

(Sorry for the thread drift)....Do you know how many watts the UV light uses, and are there any 12 volt UV lights available?

Thanks,

Rick

greenmulberry · #11 03/13/08, 10:39 AM

I have a shared well with my neighbor. It is on their property. We have all the relevant easements and such for it.

Apparently, they have the pump on their electrical, because I have nothing on my circuit breaker that would be a well pump.

I actually must confess I don't know anything about how the well and pressure tanks work, and feel pretty silly about it. All I know is everything hums along smoothly, but it bothers me to have equipment that I don't understand the workings of. If the water stopped, I would be pretty stymied.

1/4acre · #12 03/13/08, 10:47 AM

P/W submersible.

Rick · #13 03/13/08, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenmulberry

I have a shared well with my neighbor. It is on their property. We have all the relevant easements and such for it.

Apparently, they have the pump on their electrical, because I have nothing on my circuit breaker that would be a well pump.

I actually must confess I don't know anything about how the well and pressure tanks work, and feel pretty silly about it. All I know is everything hums along smoothly, but it bothers me to have equipment that I don't understand the workings of. If the water stopped, I would be pretty stymied.

Maybe someone else will comment on this, but this does not sound good for you in the long run. If your neighbor sold the property, what would keep the new owner from capping off your water line to save the electric bill, water volume etc??

Food for though- forewarned is forearmed (for a solution).

Rick

greenmulberry · #14 03/13/08, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

Maybe someone else will comment on this, but this does not sound good for you in the long run. If your neighbor sold the property, what would keep the new owner from capping off your water line to save the electric bill, water volume etc??

Food for though- forewarned is forearmed (for a solution).

Rick

Well, we both bought the property with this set up in place, and I have an easement for use of a well on their property. They are not allowed legally to prevent me from using that well, and if for some reason the well no longer functions, this easement allows me to drill another well on their property and access it if need be. This easement cannot be dissolved unless both property owners agree. DH had a legal degree (JD) and agreed it was pretty tight along with my realtor. So I am not worried about that at all. Shared wells are pretty common here.

littlebitfarm · #15 03/13/08, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

(Sorry for the thread drift)....Do you know how many watts the UV light uses, and are there any 12 volt UV lights available?

Thanks,

Rick

Mine is 80 watts I believe. I don't know anything about 12 volt.

Kathie

akcowgirl · #16 03/13/08, 11:43 AM

PW/Jet Pump(Suction)
When we bouight the house last year it had this system in place but the well is only 9 feet deep and we can't drink that water as it has to much iron in it so we haul water from town for drinking.

Macybaby · #17 03/13/08, 04:37 PM

City water - actually we call it "Rural Water" out here, as it's for the rural community, not a city.

We do have a well on the property, with a visible old pump at the top of the pipe. Have not seen if it works yet.

Well water in our area isn't all that great -but it works for livestock and the garden. That's why I want to get the well going - cost too much to water the garden during the dry months.

Cathy

PineRidge · #18 03/13/08, 05:22 PM

We have city water, and a soon to be refurbished cistern in the back yard. Can anyone suggest a good barrier for a concrete block cistern that looks like it was previously sealed with roofing tar?

Hey Rick, haven't seen you on here lately, sorry to hear your well isn't finished yet!

vicker · #19 03/13/08, 05:29 PM

Gravity fed spring and cistern. The citstern is 110' above the house with a 1" line coming down. Plenty of pressure.

xix · #20 03/13/08, 06:54 PM

PW/Submersible

We're one of the only houses with a drilled well, all the neighbors still use their 30' hand dug wells, except nobody drinks from them. We did lots of tests on the water before buying the place and think our water is quite yummy.