My natural Spring Water Dilema

[SnowyNorth]

After being at our new property for just over a year now we are trying to figure out a way to get water to the barn cheap.

Our are is full of natural springs and this is a picture of ours. The good- it runs like this year round. It's a 4" cast iron/steel pipe and is half full. The bad - it's approx. 30' below grade of the barn and 500' away. I need some ideas please. Would gravity and pressure alone reach, or would something else have to be figured out??

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/808/waterpipe.jpg

[Tricky Grama]

Don't have an answer, just wanted to say how beautiful-a postcard pic.

Patty

[Micahn]

I think your missing out on a BIG chance here to really use that spring.
If that was on my land I would have a Hydro power system running from it.
Think no more power bills ever.

[Common Tator]

You might look into a ram pump, as shown on this web site.

http://www.clemson.edu/irrig/Equip/ram.htm

[dave_p]

Hi, as a child I was raised on spring water from a source that was at least 50 feet below our house. This was in the 50's. and it was pumped from a small block 'spring house' with a setup like a well pump, with a pressure tank in the spring house. It should be no problem for you to do the same, probably much more efficiently nowdays. You will need to get electricity to the spring site to do this. I believe the pump will PUSH water better than PULLING it so the pump needs to be at the source. TSC stores has all the components needed and you should be able to GOOGLE a schematic for instruction on 'how to' pump water from a spring. hope this helps, dp

[NCLee]

Do get the water tested before you invest in using it. Based on your description of it's location, the water may be contaiminated from the barn.

If the water is good and you want it for your animals, it may be easier to simply run a fence from the barn to a point below where the pipe empties. Width between the two sides of the fence would be based on the size of the animals and your soil type. You want it wide enough so that you don't end up with a muddy mess.

I sure hope all is OK with that spring. That's a wonderful asset to have on your property.

Lee

[Common Tator]

The ram pump doesn't need electricity and can be made from the plans on the link I provided for about $120.00.

[Michael Kawalek]

I can think of several solutions which might depend on how much vertical change your property has.

If you can get enough vertical drop below the spring outlet a hydralic ram might be able to pump some water up the hill to a holding tank above the barn.

I was at a neighbor's property that has a tapped spring at the bottom of his property. There's a plastic holding tank below that the spring fills. He then powers an 240 volt AC pump with a small generator to pump his water up the hill to another holding tank above his barn. You would just have to monitor the water level and walk down to your spring periodicly to pump water back up the hill.

Another option that could make the system more hands off is a solar pump that runs when the sun is shining. Take a look at www.solarwellpumps.com. A 100 watt system should be able to pump about 600 gallons per day up a 100 foot vertical hill.
Michael

[chickenista]

I would build a reservoir to hold that water and then either a solar pump or a windmill pump to pump it up into another holding tank nearer the barn. You can tap that and have a great sourse of water at the barn.

[||Downhome||]

Originally Posted by Common Tator

You might look into a ram pump, as shown on this web site.

http://www.clemson.edu/irrig/Equip/ram.htm

yup ram pump you can build one fairly cheep, there not the most efficient but
can work with a high head and no need for power.

I would build some type of cistern (maybe two) below it (to harness the full potential) and put a couple more rams to pump it to other parts of the property or like Micahn suggested a hydroturbine. not sure the power potential but it should keep a battery bank charged. wich might be enough to run a electric pump if you need more water than the rams could supply.

[ronbre]

yes i was going to suggest the windmill or the ram pump myself..but do have it tested..it might be filterable if it has some contaminants..but check..

[SnowyNorth]

All VERY good ideas. I wish I was able to fence it in. This spring is only approx. 50' from our house. Our house sits at the top of a river/crick and it's halfway down to the crick. Power would be very easy to run out the cellar to a "spring house" of sorts with a holding tank in the barn.

I'm saving this for my micro-hydro. Here is a road-side spring that all the locals use year-round and the town has put in stone along the road down to our property. This outlet in the pictures is within 50' (downhill) of the cast-iron spring in the ground. Both of which flow down into the crick.

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6030/road.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/975/drainage.jpg

[Harry Chickpea]

You want to do it cheap? Easy.

Go to Harbor freight and buy a 1" clearwater pump. $40
Go to TSC and get two 300' rolls of 3/4 black poly pipe. $120
Go to Lowes or Home Depot and get the fittings and a 100' extension cord. $40
Rip the grounded power cord out of an old appliance for use with the pump. $0
Total- $200

Put everything in place and pump the water to the tank at the barn.
The Harbor freight pump will tend to seize and you may need to lube it and let it wear in. Buying the replacement policy for $10 is a good deal.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by SnowyNorth

After being at our new property for just over a year now we are trying to figure out a way to get water to the barn cheap.

Our are is full of natural springs and this is a picture of ours. The good- it runs like this year round. It's a 4" cast iron/steel pipe and is half full. The bad - it's approx. 30' below grade of the barn and 500' away. I need some ideas please. Would gravity and pressure alone reach, or would something else have to be figured out??

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/808/waterpipe.jpg

.....................find an old windmill , set the pump in the pipe just deep enough to lift the water to about 35 feet , then run 2 inch sch40 to a 2500 gallon holding tank set close to the house and it should gravity flow during the warm months . Winter will require a pump . , fordy

[cnsilver]

we have ram pump lifting water 140' vertically, about 500' its not like turning on a hose, but slow and steady we fill a 400 gal cistern and then take the pump out of the creek. you do have to worry about them freezing