I recommend that if you have a well you should have a simple way to obtain the water from that well when the SHTF. Even if you have a generator or solar powered water pump you should have a backup. You can never be too prepared.
Below are some photos of my Well Bucket. Although I have not tested it in my well, it seems to work pretty good in my bathtub!
Live the Motto - Be Prepared!
Parts: 3" diameter PVC Schedule 40 pipe, 3" diameter PVC end cap, Plumb Pak Red Rubber Sheet
, 100ft Nylon rope, 2 Washers with 1/4" hole, 1/4" nylon nut, 1/4" screw, PVC primer and cement.
Outline on End Cap is a little crooked. LOL
Holes drilled on End Cap.
Rubber flap attached to End Cap.
attached to End Cap. 
Rubber flap attached to End Cap (interior view)
End Cap test - Start
End Cap filling up
End Cap has sunk!
End cap attached to PVC pipe with PVC cement.
Finished Well Bucket. FYI, I cut the PVC pipe to 3 feet length.
Drilled 2 holes to top of Well Bucket for rope attachment. Remember to use a good knot. For all the Boy Scouts out there, you do remember how to tie a Bowline?
Interesting. We looked into a manual pump when our well was destroyed this past summer, but found it cost prohibitive....$1500-2500. Our well is nearly 200 feet deep and the water level is somewhere around 180 feet...that's a lot of rope! Thankfully, we have a lot of water available closeby...a pond across the road fed by a spring that runs into the lake 2 miles away. And with the homemade filter, we shouldn't have to worry about water purity.
ReplyDeleteThat's one thing I forgot to mention. In New Jersey it is not uncommon for a well to be less than 50 feet deep, so I don't have too far to go down.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Got to show the hubby this one. We live near the lake and our water level is not deep either. We have several wells on our property 2 electric (But we have to use a handle for the ones by the barn,but is powered with electricity) and one we don't know. The spring is broke on the handle. Do you know if a manual well can go into an existing well? The handles are ancient and are afraid we'll cause more problem and expense we don't need so left it alone. I hope this all came out right.
ReplyDeleteYou CAN add a manual well pump onto an existing electric well. That was our plan until we received the estimate! BUT if your well is shallow, it should be much cheaper. I know I've seen instructions online for DIYers too. Check www.Instructables.com
ReplyDeleteWe're just shy of the highest point in the county....no flooding here, but no shallow wells either!
Outstanding post. Thank you. This could be very handy to know if that lights go out for an extended period.
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