Category: Water Storage & Filters

Hello Hugh, In a recent letter, the writer noted he did not know the static water depth of his well. This is easy to determine using a recording device and some free audio software. 1. Remove the cap from the well casing. 2. Clap your hands above the open hole, and listen for the repeated echos. 3. Use an audio recorder of some type to record the echos. Most phones can be loaded with audio recording apps. 4. Transfer the audio snippet to a PC, and use a free program, such as Audacity, to measure the time between two echos, …

HJL, Another option the author might consider is a well bucket. I bought mine from Lehman’s as a short-term solution to possible electrical power failure until I have my PV system fully up-to-speed. I think it was around $70, plus shipping, and it provides me an affordable alternative water source. -BPF HJL responds: This is a viable alternative as long as you realize that your submersible pump will have to be pulled in order to effectively use this setup. For those who are uncomfortable with working on your own well, beware that this option may not work for you. o …

M, Consider connecting your hand pump to the well pipes where they enter your basement or house. I did this with my Bison pump. Having the pump indoors offers obvious advantages for issues such as weather, security, and using during night hours. Mine sits on a countertop over a tub adjacent to my pressure tank. I get the extra benefit of being able to generate enough psi so that the water supply flows in my barn 100 yards away. To engage, all I have to do is flip three valves. Good luck. – Pete

Hugh, I reuse polyethelene 2.5 gallon theatrical fog fluid tanks for water storage. The fog fluid is a glycol, and the tank will smell for awhile. I first rinse the tanks to get all the gross product residues out. I then begin a leaching process by filling the tank with very hot water and let it sit until cool. I then repeat the process multiple times, until there is no smell. I do two more leachings after that. Another point that I thought was missed is biofilms. These, like slimes, adhere to the walls and are almost impossible to get …

Hugh and JWR, I want to comment on the topic of well pumps. I also had some issues finding answers to questions regarding the subject. The Internet, YouTube, and my closest library (second largest in the state) didn’t have all the answers I needed. I was able to find out some information from a third generation well driller and by driving an hour away to speak with an Amish man that deals with windmills and water pumps. Here are a couple of things I learned along the way that might help your readers: Tip # 1- You need a deep …

I’m curious as to if any other readers have had difficulty getting good information on hand pumps? I am not technical by any definition of the word, but here is my situation: I just purchased a homestead in the country with well water. The pump runs by electricity. I have spoken with several well drillers in the area, explaining that I want a hand pump for grid down. The stock answer is “get a generator”. I live in southeastern NC. I understand there can be problems with trying to connect a hand pump to an already existing electrically-powered well. I …

Hugh, I just recently returned from a trip to New Zealand, where I stayed in private homes in small towns on North Island. I was surprised to learn that these small towns don’t have public water systems; every home in the town has its own rain catchment system. The system catches unfiltered rain water from the roof of the home, draining it into large above-ground tanks in the back yards. (It doesn’t ever freeze on North Island.) Most of the homeowners I talked to had no idea how the system worked, but I did find one fellow who said the …

Editor, After reading a recent article on SurvivalBlog about keeping stored water clean, I thought I’d mention my experience with that. While living in the Colorado mountains, my water source was from a short stream running from a spring. This filtered water was pumped into a 1,000-gallon tank in my basement. All surface water is subject to some contamination, but in all the years it was used it never gave me any problems. I finally had it tested, and the bacteria count was some 50 times what was allowed. After that test, I figured I was living on borrowed time …

Hugh, NP’s post on water storage was excellent. I live in southeast Washington and have been working on the water storage issue for a while now. My water comes from two sources– city water and gravity-fed irrigation that comes out of the Columbia River. I’ve been toying with the idea of burying an underground water tank in my backyard and connecting my city water directly to the tank on one end and piping it to the house on the other. It would work much like a toilet tank; as I used my water, a valve would open and refill the …

Dear HJL, The referenced article was pretty complete and detailed; I just want to add a couple of details. First, when I fill my storage tank with the intent of leaving it unattended and unused for a long period of time, I usually dose the water to about 7 PPM Chlorine. Then I check it every time I visit my distant retreat, supplementing the chlorine dose if the reading gets to 2 PPM or less. Levels at and above 7 PPM are dangerous to your health but draining the right amount of water and adding untreated water to the tank …

Hugh, I reuse polyethelene 2.5-gallon theatrical fog fluid tanks for water storage. The fog fluid is a glycol, and the tank will smell for a while. I first rinse the tanks to get all the gross product residues out. I then begin a leaching process by filling the tank with very hot water and let it sit until cool. I then repeat the process multiple times until there is no smell. I do two more leachings after that. Another point that I thought was missed is biofilms. These, like slimes, adhear to the walls and are almost impossible to get …