Water Well Upgrades And Filtration Options

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Yard Dart, Jul 13, 2015.


  1. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    So I am currently in the closing process of a 7 acre BOL that has been occupied and operating by an older couple as a self sustaining property. They have food growing almost everywhere on the property in one form or another.

    It is a great new adventure for us and we have till late next month when we occupy to start the planning process of what we want to do, making the property more to our style and more self sufficient moving forward. I had a home inspection the other day and we reviewed all aspects of the house and other property features. One of our discoveries was that the well has a small reservoir tank (40 Gal.) and lacks a good filtration system. Another item is to add solar backup for power to the well.

    Looking for advice from others that have gone down this road at some point. What have you done to add capacity, filtration or solar capabilities to your well? What would you recommend, and what would you advise to stay away from? We intend on this being a true BOL and not a primary residence at this time so we have some time to work with the issues. Funding is not an issue within reason and not per se limited, with a good benefit as the result of the work.

    IMG_20150710_171623.
     
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  2. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

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  3. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

  4. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    Is that a bladder tank or a standard air-charge tank? If a bladder tank, then 40 gal is pretty good sized. Next thing is - do you need filtration? If so, for what? That's going to make a big difference in what direction to go.

    I ran two tanks in series, the first primarily working as a settling tank (standard 80 gal, non-bladder), followed by a 10 micron and 5 micron filter then the second tank (30 gal, bladder). Further downstream is a water softener. This setup removes nearly all of the bacterial iron...but the wife is really picky, so her drinking water goes through a Berkey with black filters.

    Power is provided by 1500w of solar panels and two charge controllers feeding a bit over 1000 a/h VRLA battery bank. 2kw PSW inverter does the hard work. Roughly half the house runs from this 24/7, with more getting added in.

    If the pump dies, there is a spare (yes it has been tested) ready to go. If power becomes an issue, there are two ball valves that allow a quick conversion to a hand pump, sans filtering. This is a deep well - over 600 ft., but the water is forced up to within 12 feet of the top of the casing.
     
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  5. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    PreFilter 10 Micron.... Potable Water Filter 2 Micron...... Activated Charcoal Filter.... Then a UV Tank.... Whole thing Couple of Hundred Bucks....
     
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  6. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    In general, I am not sure which type of tank it is at this time.... the inspector looked it over while I was messing with some other items and he mentioned it may be to small in capacity. Iron in the water and we will need to soften it a bit as well......
     
  7. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    @Yard Dart any local farm and ranch supply can point you in the right direction for these. Many many ranches have gone from windmills to solar pump systems for remote water locations because of reliability and low maintenance costs.

    The best company I know for filtration systems is also in arizona.

    Suggestion look at whole home filtration with a by pass for out door watering. You won't regret it.
    Benefits Of Whole House Water Filtration In Arizona - Want Soft Water In Arizona?

    Skip the reverse osmosis. It's more costly and wastes water.
     
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  8. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I thought you liked pictures.....:lol:
     
  9. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Conceptual at this point CS.... just working on ideas at this point.... facts of what can come will follow once we assume the land.... right now this is an exercise in ideas for what may be.....
     
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  10. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Thanks for the input CS..... going to the county records on the well info and will get more info.... the owners don't recall much.

    Septic was pumped last Thursday :)
     
  11. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    PM'd....... we can handle your helo..... ;)
     
  12. T. Riley

    T. Riley Monkey+++

    Didn't know where to post this so I picked here. Just found out that in the early 70's my state did a water resource study. Part of that was a detailed analysis of each counties water resources. An appendix to the report for my county listed every water well in the county and its depth by map grid location. Good information to have though old, the dug wells are likely still there. It also listed the location of every natural spring. image.
     
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  13. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    @T.Riley were you trying to attach a file or just put up a cover page? I only see an image

    If you were trying to add a resource you can upload here Resources | Survival Forums
     
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