Here we go again!

Thanks for the clarifications, Minuteman.

Must admit, though, every time I see the thread name, I mentally hear "Heeeere comes anuuuuuther one!" (Monty Python)

~Falcon

 

Minuteman, I'm truly envious of your position in being able to do this!

You should put up a little "Monkey Home" website to document the progress (without giving away location of course). It would be a valuable resource for those following your path. Documenting your successes as well as "snags" you find along the way, and shortcuts you discover would be great reading.



I'm curious about your plans for water:

I'd assume you'll be putting in a hand pump water well? We have one out at the farm that gives me great peace of mind knowing it's there.

Will you be implementing some kind of rainwater collection system?

Perhaps a "greywater" system for flushing toilets?

 

Outstanding!

When it comes time to stock that pond, a little prep and knowlege can provide you with a wonderful, continuously self-renewing source of food. A great forum I've spent a lot of time with is the pond boss http://www.pondboss.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi

Great bunch of folks dedicated to managing ponds and teaching others how to effectively do so, I've got pics of my little pond on there, I intend on improving it this year.

Bass, bluegill, bullfrogs, turtles, plus all the birds and deer it attracts, it's like a little grocery store

In fact, I think I'll start a thread

 

Something I would seriously consider if I was building from the ground up would be top see if water could be found shallow enouph for a hand pump, drill the well and then build the house on that site. Kind of like the nicest of the old frontier homes that had a pump right in the house. If it wasgood enouph water it could be used as the main water for the house but if nothing else it could be hooked up to use for non-potable water for normal times then be equiped such that it due to any reason from a storm to TEOTWAWKI, you should be stuck in the house and the windmills or solar pumps and such were down, you could still have a small ahnd pump in the house to get water without ever haveing to leave the house. It would also prevent the pump from ever freezing up.

 

Minuteman, have a look at Lehmans. I think I saw a bail in their new catalog.

 

If you cant find one they can be made pretty easily with some PVC pipe and a check valve. Put the check valve on the bottom to close it (has have a very weak spring or no spring to close it) so that when it is lowered into the pipe it dosent have to turn over or displace a lot of water to fill, the bottom raises up as the water flows in then as you raise it the weight of the water helps the check valve to close and you raise up the pipe (length of your choice and max diamiter dictated by size of well shaft) full of water.

 

I too have been looking for a bail (although I didn't know the term until a few minutes ago). My well would be too deep for a hand pump also.

I went to Lehman's and didn't see the item that Sojourner was talking about. If someone can find a bail please post the link. Thanks for the info.

 

Gallowglass, the bail is listed in Lehmans as a "well bucket", and is item #550202, and price is $42.95. It really is a nice looking piece of equipment. I hope this helps.

 

Here's a direct link to the "well bucket"

http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/pro...=97&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=well+bucket

 

Shouldnt be hard at all to make one from PVC and a check vaulve for under half the price and in about 30 minutes or less if you wanted to.

 

If I was going to make one the way I would most likely do it would be to get a 3" brass check vaulve (about $15) and remove the spring. The vaulve is fairly heavy and would help it go down faster. attach a threaded PVC fitting to the 'out going' side of the vaulve (water can go up into it but trying to flow back along with gravity would close it) then connect the fitting to a 3" piece of PVC pipe about 3' to 4' long. Drill a hole on each side of the pipe about 1-2" from the top and connect some 550 cord to it with the cord wrapped in duct tape where it goes through the PVC and up to the point where it goes to 1 strand to help prevent wear.

Total cost would be under $20, with the check vaulve being the vast majority of that cost.

The problem with trying to weigh down a container and make it sink to fill over the top is in displacement. Since it would most likely be in a narrow well it cant fall to the side to fill so the whole thing would have to submerge. That would mean that if the container had a 1 gallon over all volume (outside not what it would actualy hold) it would have to weigh about 10 pounds in order to get it to sink. If you have a check vaulve on the bottom though then the over all weight just has to be more than the water displaced by the flap of the vaulve and the vaulve has to weigh more than the water it displaces so it will close by gravity when the weight of the rest of the container is no longer pushing down and will hold the water in.

 

Oh, I havent built one this way but its based on one that I saw that a water well drill had built for bailing out wells and just refined a bit to fit my own ideas for needs. His bailer was biger and used to removeall the water from a well in as few trips down as possible and useing a winch or whatever on his truck. His was a lot longer and a bit larger as I recall.