# One of the last preps finally complete!



## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

I made a home made well pump. Installed it and it works great. (There is thread about this is on the main forum.) I just had to tell you all of the joy at the accomplishment. I have never made a contraption that actually worked as planned. Today was a very good day on this snowy mountain. 

:banana02::banana02::banana02: 

Here are a few pics.

The home made pump.











Putting in the pump. The DW helped me all day even tho the temp was a high of 25F.











Success :walk::walk::walk:












Let it all come as it may. Me and mine will have fresh spring water @ a quart a pump.


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Nice job Stan!
Matt


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## ghmerrill (Feb 22, 2011)

Thats awesome! Where can I find the plans!


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

ghmerrill said:


> Thats awesome! Where can I find the plans!


If you have a well and the well is wide(not a modern cased well.) This pump takes about 1 1/2 foot of clearance.

I will gladly talk you thru it. It's mostly self made. I was just amazed that it worked. Let alone so well.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Roadking said:


> Nice job Stan!
> Matt


Thanks Matt. :happy0035: I'm still dancing inside.


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## Nature Man (Nov 5, 2009)

Thanks for posting this. Congratulations on your project. The pictures are great!

Bill


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## TxAprilMagic (Nov 8, 2007)

Very impressive. You deserve to be very proud of yourself.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

TxAprilMagic said:


> Very impressive. You deserve to be very proud of yourself.


Thank you!


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## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

You should be very proud.


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

You do, indeed, deserve to be proud. That's quite an accomplishment. Well done!!! :thumb:


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Txsteader said:


> You do, indeed, deserve to be proud. That's quite an accomplishment. Well done!!! :thumb:


"Well" Done.... ound:


Thank you!


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Very nice and congratulations on it working well


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## Pam6 (Apr 9, 2009)

Wow! That is awesome! "Well" done indeed!


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Glad it works. And looks nice to boot. Second the idea of sharing the plans, please.

Any thaws in the forcast?


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

Congrats - that is a prep we desperately need to accomplish.


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## unregistered65598 (Oct 4, 2010)

WOW!!! Congrats! on your success! I love it when I try new things and they work LOL


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## Rainy (Jan 21, 2010)

Great job! Really cool too!


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## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

How deep is your well?


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## ghmerrill (Feb 22, 2011)

You know, in looking at this, I don't think you need that width, which would make this work for those of us with cased wells...
Starting at the bottom: put a directional valve, a tee, then on up your line just like you have now. For the out flow, from that tee, immediately put a 90Â°, then the other directional valve. You should be able to fit it down a standard well case then.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

ghmerrill said:


> You know, in looking at this, I don't think you need that width, which would make this work for those of us with cased wells...
> Starting at the bottom: put a directional valve, a tee, then on up your line just like you have now. For the out flow, from that tee, immediately put a 90Â°, then the other directional valve. You should be able to fit it down a standard well case then.




You could try to fit the whole thing in like this.










The only issue would be the size of the one way valve on the outflow. If Im remembering right the 1 1/2" ones I used may be too big. They are about 3" wide. But you could use 1" and it would likely fit.


P.S.
Thinking about it a bit. Your limiting factor may be the elbow from 1 1/2" to 3/4" If you could get this to fit in a reasonable space. You could lower the bottom one way valve and raise the upper one even if 4 feet or more is needed to get the pipes as close together as possible. This way the bigger valves would likely fit. Of course this wouldn't fit with an electric pump in place. So you would have to pull it.


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## ghmerrill (Feb 22, 2011)

Yep, thats exactly what I meant.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the pump part though......... I know it should be simple-a smaller pipe fitted into a larger one, with something on the smaller pipe to create the suction as you pump it.....
It feels like I almost understand, but am not quite getting it.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Stan I am a girl so I end up going to the hard ware store with photo's of parts (thank God for cameras on cell phones) 

could you list the names of the parts. I hate sounding really stupid. I will print your post off I hope the images come out. Keith at the store is a preper so he'll be interested too ---that will help.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

And thanks for trying, doing and sharing


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Ok, for those of us that really don't get it, which thread was it? Need more pics on the guts of the pump to really get it, sorry to be so dense.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

For those of us that missed your post on the main forum, could you post a link to it, please?


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Excellent work, Stan!


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Stan's thread is on page one of Homesteading questions. Just went to look.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

ghmerrill said:


> Yep, thats exactly what I meant.
> 
> I'm still trying to wrap my head around the pump part though......... I know it should be simple-a smaller pipe fitted into a larger one, with something on the smaller pipe to create the suction as you pump it.....
> It feels like I almost understand, but am not quite getting it.


Here is how I made the "pusher" It goes onto the bottom of the 3/4" pipe. What's missing in the photo is the 3/4" pipe cap that goes on the bottom.











First put a 3/4" to 1 " adapter onto the pipe. Onto this I put 2 rings made from a 1" pipe coupling I cut them about 1/4" wide. The "rings" are just slightly too wide to fit down the pipe as is. So what I did is sand them with plumbers cloth till they slid reasonably well. Tho they are still kinda tight. You have to go slow with this part. If you get them out of round or too small it wont work well. 

If you are going to try to use this for a deeper well. Like more than just a few feet (on mine the water is down 8 feet. So it's very shallow.) I would take an old leather boot or get leather from somewhere else. Cut it into a doughnut to fit in between the "rings" I'd even add an additional ring to make for 2 leather "seals".


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

kasilofhome said:


> Stan I am a girl so I end up going to the hard ware store with photo's of parts (thank God for cameras on cell phones)
> 
> could you list the names of the parts. I hate sounding really stupid. I will print your post off I hope the images come out. Keith at the store is a preper so he'll be interested too ---that will help.


Just cause your a girl... :hammer: You can do it.



I will compile a list of parts and draw it out better.


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Thanks, from another girl, old lady probably better description, who is a very visual learner


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Here are two more drawings...

The bottom set up












The "pusher"


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

final for now. If you all have any questions just ask.












Alternative for 6" cased well. You really have to measure to see that it will fit. It should tho.












Where is says you need to remove the shoulder or cut to fit. I used a dremel and this worked very well. You still need a platform to set the whole thing on. The toilet flange works ok but I also braced the pipe below with carriage bolts and a block of wood.


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Thanks!!!!


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## ghmerrill (Feb 22, 2011)

That's fantastic Stan! I think this is a vault worthy thread. In a SHTF scenario, even those of us on cased wells will be able to access water with this.


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Great job! Thats really neat!


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## frank (Dec 16, 2008)

Awesome Stan! Thanks!


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Your all welcome.


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## frank (Dec 16, 2008)

Stan,I built this pump and put in in my hand dug well. The well is 58 feet deep and the water is at 46 feet right now. I put a tee on the one way valve at the bottom and wrapped it in stainless screen to prevent any "trash" pickup. I made it 56 feet total so it is 2 feet from the bottom. The well is almost 4 feet wide and in hard clay (built in 1930). I tied 1/2' nylon on the pickup tee so I could lower it down and glued sections together on the way down. I made three rings with two leather doughnuts. Success! I'm well pleased!

Thanks again!( the cheapest pump I found for purchase was around $300 not including pipe)


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## ghmerrill (Feb 22, 2011)

How well does the pump work at that depth?


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

NICE! Oh man....I wish we had that! I do have a spring on my land. Our well was filled in years before we moved here. I think it was a casement type though.

-scrt crk


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## frank (Dec 16, 2008)

...on a long stroke almost a gallon? haven't measured yet. I plan on putting a outdoor solar shower next to it, (A stall with a roof...put a big pail on top with suntuff clear topping to let the sun shine in, a valve to let warm water fall). I think it will pump up another 7 feet to do this easily. It takes some oomph to really push it. smaller folks, smaller strokes. Thanks again Stan!


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

frank said:


> Stan,I built this pump and put in in my hand dug well. The well is 58 feet deep and the water is at 46 feet right now. I put a tee on the one way valve at the bottom and wrapped it in stainless screen to prevent any "trash" pickup. I made it 56 feet total so it is 2 feet from the bottom. The well is almost 4 feet wide and in hard clay (built in 1930). I tied 1/2' nylon on the pickup tee so I could lower it down and glued sections together on the way down. I made three rings with two leather doughnuts. Success! I'm well pleased!
> 
> Thanks again!( the cheapest pump I found for purchase was around $300 not including pipe)


That is the best. Thank you for giving it a try!

And it works as a "deep" pump as well!!! :happy0035:


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## frank (Dec 16, 2008)

I'm getting 1 gallon every two strokes...been using it for plants!


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