Manual well pump
 

I'm looking into installing some sort of manual pump for our well so we will have water when there is no electricity available. I've seached around, but not much luck finding info.

Anyone here ever done this?

Re: Manual well pump
 

I don't know the depth off the top of my head right now, i'll have to find that out.
But i know for a fact it is very deep (we live on top of a ridge)

Re: Manual well pump
 

A pitcher pump might work for you. These are very durable and develop pretty good suction. Kinda depends on how many check valves you have on your well tubing string and how deep the last one is. Cost would be about $100 for a decent one, I'd guess. Try the farm supply stores or Ebay.

If your electric pump is 2hp or less, you can probably use a 5kw genset or maybe a decent inverter like a big Trace/Xantrex to power your pump. The main hassle there is the startup surge. If you have the specs or know the model # of your pump you can find out the surge spec.

If you setup some kind of covered storage tank like a cistern and pump your water to that rather than a pressure tank, you could likely use a very small 12v RV type pump to send water to your home. Pumping to a cistern or other water holding reservoir makes your pump last longer also. If the tank were platform mounted, or located uphill enough from your home you might get decent gravity feed pressure.

Shouldn't be that hard to test and see if a pitcher pump could work for you, just install a T fitting between your pressure tank and well head, connect the pitcher pump and see if you get a decent flow. A decent swimming pool or jet type pump might also work for you. Maybe out of an old hot tub? All sorts of pumps that might work. Maybe you get enough rain to collect your roof runoff? Nice reason to have a metal or slate roof.

Good luck with your project.

Re: Manual well pump
 

Thanks for the info guys

Re: Manual well pump
 

If there is little head, you could use a cheap 12 volt Shurflo pump. Ever try washing up with one hand? Doesn't work.

Edit: Just noticed you live on a ridge. An underground cistern would be needed for a Shurflo pump, or simply place the cistern uphill and fill it when AC pump is operational.

Re: Manual well pump
 

I've wondered about doing the exact same thing. We have an electric pump in a small well house. I've been told the well is 120 feet deep. We are on city water in the house and use the well for the animals and the garden. But it would be _nice_ to know that we could use that well water in some type of general emergency! Some kind of hand pump just to fill buckets would be good enough for me.

Gregg

Re: Manual well pump
 

Damn, those suckers are expensive !


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Re: Manual well pump
 

In "Gaviotas", (Columbia) they describe (not instructions) an ultra-deep pump made of household PVC. Probably this has been posted on the web somewhere.

There are deep-well solutions, but they're not nearly as happy. Lehmans.com has conventional pumps to 120' I think. Maybe you should look into a mechanical windmill. It pumps all day and splashes the overflow back in. That was the solution in the American West, first to start deep well farming.

TS