Last year, we had a 145 foot well drilled on our Bleecker property. We were going great guns to get a small house built, and then I had my tree induced neck breaking accident. Since that time, things have slowed to a crawl.
We still need a bit of water on the property, even though we don't have a house there. We have dogs that need drinking water, and a small (but productive!) vegetable garden. Even though the well is 145 feet deep, the water rose to within four or five feet of the top of the well casing. For much of the summer, we were able to simply siphon off what we needed. But as the summer progressed and the rains got less, the level dropped a couple of feet and we were no longer able to siphon anything off.
We hied ourselves to the new Runnings store in Fulton County, which is like a Tractor Supply but much larger and with a better selection. I thought about buying a shallow well pump for a couple of hundred dollars and powering it with solar cells and an inverter, but it seems like a waste of money. So we drove across the street to Tractor Supply and bought a hand pump and some bendable PVC pipe, about 15 feet worth. I glued it all together, cut some excess from some pressure treated 1x6 decking for a platform, and assembled it all. Oh, the coat hanger? I just had this irrational fear of the pipe coming lose from the pump and dropping 145 feet down into the well, never to be retrieved again.
After a few beers, it was no problem to recruit Earl and our friend Bill to stuff it down the well casing.
We still need a bit of water on the property, even though we don't have a house there. We have dogs that need drinking water, and a small (but productive!) vegetable garden. Even though the well is 145 feet deep, the water rose to within four or five feet of the top of the well casing. For much of the summer, we were able to simply siphon off what we needed. But as the summer progressed and the rains got less, the level dropped a couple of feet and we were no longer able to siphon anything off.
We hied ourselves to the new Runnings store in Fulton County, which is like a Tractor Supply but much larger and with a better selection. I thought about buying a shallow well pump for a couple of hundred dollars and powering it with solar cells and an inverter, but it seems like a waste of money. So we drove across the street to Tractor Supply and bought a hand pump and some bendable PVC pipe, about 15 feet worth. I glued it all together, cut some excess from some pressure treated 1x6 decking for a platform, and assembled it all. Oh, the coat hanger? I just had this irrational fear of the pipe coming lose from the pump and dropping 145 feet down into the well, never to be retrieved again.
After a few beers, it was no problem to recruit Earl and our friend Bill to stuff it down the well casing.
Did it work? Yup.
So whenever we actually build something and install a deep well pump, the $45 hand pump will become a garden decoration. Or maybe I'll drive a point somewhere and use it. Or make a lamp out of it.
Hey Dave,
ReplyDeleteJust stopped by to say hello. I hope you, Pam, and all the menagerie are doing good.
After reading a few posts it seems you are.
Glad to see the neck is better.
Take care,
-bt
Hi Bob! Yep. After neck surgery in July, I'm slowly regaining the use of my right arm. Hopefully, by next summer I'll be able to swing a hammer and we can get something done on our property. Our primary goal is to get a barn built. We can always rent our cabin, or even stay in the RV if need be.
DeleteDrift Away has been sold, which is very sad for us. I've even stopped reading boating blogs everyday like I used to. But I do catch up now and then, and I always enjoy reading what you're up to.