Homesteading

[Kev]

All things to do with water — how to secure it, infrastructure for usage, etc.

Discussion

[Elmore]

I have a new well and just received test results and received the bad news that there is lead in the water as well as some bacteria. Because I am running irrigation as well as a couple of different buildings I am seeking options for a filter at the well itself, not a whole house system. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Elmore.

[maryschurr]

I’m interested in what others can offer since that is something I don’t come across very often. Who would have thought you would find this in your well water!

[Kev]

If you’ve got moving water on your property, you can use a passive spiral water wheel pump to move water to higher ground.. No motors, no electricity.. just some cool physics action based in air-locking.. (These pumps are also called Wirtz pumps)..

A couple videos here.. This first one shows how water from a gentle stream can be moved up the landscape in elevation (video is 2 minutes long)..

And then in the first comment below, a spiral pump in the Philippines that’s 6 feet in diameter that raises water in elevation (video also 2 minutes long).. These look to be somewhat easy to build..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN9iLNHGOYI

[Kev]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTqxsiRrRC4

[Kev]

Some basic systems for the passive cleaning of greywater and blackwater, using plants and biological processes.. (Video is 9 minutes long)..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-sRcVkZ9yg

[Kev]

Very good overview of hand pump wells — how to drive the pipes, how the pump works, how to prime and operate the well, as well as all the parts & hardware you need, as well as how to winterize the pipes.. Only thing I’d look into doing differently is how the threads of the pipes were historically connected without using the toxic modern teflon goo.. He covers about everything here, except the question of where to find water on your land (which is an entirely different thing unique to locale).. Video is 20 minutes long..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIKkSeltuGY

[Kev]

This video is from a homestead project in Northern Arizona, largely focusing on rainwater harvesting with the use of swales and channels.. This 8-minute video is a broad visual overview of what they’ve done so far.. lots of inspiration here, and you can glean a little bit of the know-how on how to build an integrated swale & channel system, and where to place them on your property, etc.. I love this..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ITBSZQH6k

[Kev]

Ram pump!.. 21-minute video covering the installation of a ram pump in a stream, to pump water up to a greenhouse.. Shows it in action..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baD9KH3i6es

[Kev]

A simple and brief breakdown and explanation of how a ram pump works, from an engineer..

https://youtu.be/zFdyqTGx32A?t=37

[Kev]

Demonstration video on constructing a cheap-ass spiral pump.. Video is 16 minutes long (put it on 2x speed).. 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2UmIyhDjA

[Author]

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